Wellness at GCS

Home  /  About Us  /  Wellness at GCS

Fostering Health and Wellness at GCS

The health and safety of our children, families and staff is one of our most important priorities at Groton Community School.  Please refer to the following information regarding symptoms and illness for your child, or that someone else in your family is experiencing.  We are available for any questions you may have at any time!

Families are encouraged to relay any health-related information to our wellness@grotoncommunityschool.org email, as well as notifying your child’s classroom teachers.

Thank you for your partnership in keeping us all heathy at school!

Child Illness

Please notify the school and keep your child home if they are experiencing:

  • A fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher) or has had one during the previous 24 hours
  • A bad cold with heavy nasal discharge
  • A constant cough
  • Diarrhea
  • Vomited 2 or more times in the past 24 hours
  • Flu-like symptoms
  • A communicable illness (e.g., chickenpox, scarlet fever, impetigo, head lice, strep throat, RSV, COVID-19)
  • Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
  • A noticeable rash (unknown origin)

Please notify the School immediately if your child has a communicable illness so that other parents may be informed to monitor their children for symptoms. 

View our full Child Illness Policy for more information.

Respiratory Illness

Information about symptoms for COVID-19, the flu and RSV, as well as protecting yourself and others from getting sick, can be found at www.mass.gov/info-details/protect-yourself-and-others-from-getting-sick.

Please refer to our full Child Illness Policy for more information, and test for flu or COVID-19 when applicable.

COVID-19 & GCS

GCS asks that families test for symptoms of concern regarding COVID-19.

Symptoms of concern: 

      • Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills
      • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
      • New loss of taste or smell
      • Muscle aches or body aches
      • Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
      • Sore throat when in combination with other symptoms
      • Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea when in combination with other symptoms
      • Headache when in combination with other symptoms
      • Fatigue when in combination with other symptoms
      • Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms

Individuals with symptoms of concern should notify the school and get tested for COVID-19.  GCS requires a negative test result (rapid antigen or PCR) or a doctor’s note to return due to the symptoms listed above.

Please refer to our GCS Exposure and Isolation Policy and full COVID-19 & GCS Policy for more details. 

If tested negative, the staff member/child can stay or return to school if conditions are met in our  Child Illness Policy for non-COVID-19 related illnesses.