Everyone at Bement, regardless of vaccination status, is currently required to wear a mask inside school buildings. Please send your child to school with an extra clean mask in the event they need to change. We have disposable ones on hand if necessary. Students are given mask breaks throughout the day.

Massachusetts has declared that the mask mandate in place for schools will expire on February 28, 2022. Bement’s Student Health Services team is currently working with local public health officials to decide Bement's plan forward. This plan will be communicated with families soon.

Bement conducts pooled testing on campus every week, through CIC Health. This is an optional service in which we encourage all families to participate. Students, faculty, and staff are tested in a pool of five to ten people. 

Additionally, Bement also provides employees and students with at-home tests to be used weekly to supplement the Tuesday pooled tests conducted at school.  Participation is optional. Training and all testing supplies are provided to all those who participate.  

After much thought and consideration we have decided to require the COVID-19 vaccination for all boarding students. It is very clear that vaccination is one of the most important layers of protection that we can offer our boarding community. The benefits of vaccination are clear and numerous. We know that individuals who are vaccinated from COVID-19 have less severe disease, are less likely to pass it on to others, and are less likely to suffer from lingering symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath. Additionally, as many of you and your families have experienced, vaccination also dramatically streamlines requirements for quarantine and international travel. We do understand that there are some individuals who cannot vaccinate for medical reasons or due to strong religious convictions. Bement will allow for exemptions that meet the above criteria and any requests will be reviewed on a case by case basis.

We are pleased to welcome visitors back to campus. All visitors are required to wear masks indoors and follow COVID-19 protocols while in school buildings. Visitors are allowed on campus by appointment and with completion of this Bement Visitation Screening Form to demonstrate proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test taken no more than 72 hours prior to visiting campus. Current families are not required to have an appointment unless they will be on campus and indoors for longer than 15 minutes. It is under those circumstances that current families will also need to complete the screening form. No screening form is needed if you are walking your child to their building, dropping off a forgotten instrument or uniform, or here to pick up your child.

The Admission Office is conducting interviews with prospective students and families in person, while also holding virtual events and interviews when necessary.

Admission Officer visits from secondary schools are also taking place both in-person and virtually.

We are planning to host a full schedule of traditional spring events on campus and in-person. We will be keeping health and safety requirements in mind as we plan these events. More details will be shared in future Look Ahead's.

All boarding families should have received extensive information about traveling, quarantining, and testing protocols about rejoining the Bement community. If you have not, please be in touch with Megan O’Brien.

All boarding parents are required to name an off-campus accommodation for their child. Off-campus accommodations should be someone within the continental United States who can arrive to campus within 24 hours of notification. 

If they have not done so already, parents should click here to complete the off-campus accommodation form.

At the present time, Bement is following guidelines from the CDC:
 
CDC Domestic Travel Guidelines

CDC International Travel Guidelines

At the present time, Bement is following guidelines from the CDC: 
 
For vaccinated individuals: Anyone who has traveled internationally should have a PCR test 3-5 days after travel and monitor for symptoms. They may return to school with a negative test result.
 
For unvaccinated individuals: Anyone unvaccinated who has traveled internationally should have a PCR test 3-5 days after travel and quarantine for 7 days while monitoring for symptoms. Even if they test negative, the individual should stay home and self-quarantine for the full seven (7) days before returning to school.