Pick-Up and Drop Off

The school day begins at 8:20am. Students should not arrive at the school building before 8:20am and drop off is in the school yard. Please note that during drop-off and pick-up time Bolster street is for buses only. If you drive please utilize Wyman or Motzart Street. Please enter the blacktop through the Motzart Street entrance.

Students are expected to be in their classrooms, prepared for instruction, by 8:30am. Students who arrive to school after 8:35am will be marked tardy and must check in with Ms. Bellamy in the main office. Breakfast is provided in the classrooms.

The school day ends at 3:00pm. Pick up students in the school yard out back (Kindergarten pick up from the play structure). In the event of rain, students in Grade 1-5 dismiss through the Gym at the back of the building. Kindergarteners will wait inside the door by the play structure.

Families, caregivers, siblings over 2, and students are all required to wear masks while on school property.

Daily Attendance Policy

Much research has been done to prove that regular attendance is a critical factor in academic success. You can help your child meet our attendance expectation by making every effort to schedule appointments, etc. outside of school hours or during school vacations.

When your child returns to school after an absence, s/he must bring a note written by a parent/guardian explaining the absence. However, please note that a parent/guardian note does not necessarily make an absence excused. BPS Attendance Policy states that, even with a written excuse, the following types of absences will be considered unexcused: repetitive and chronic absence due to illness or injury, student staying home to baby-sit, cutting class, family vacation, trip to homeland, and extension of religious/cultural holidays beyond days designated on the school calendar. In the case of a chronic or prolonged medical absence, please notify the school and provide the school with formal documentation from your child’s healthcare provider. The school is responsible for reporting chronic attendance problems to a Boston truancy officer.

In accordance with the Boston Public School’s Attendance Policy, students who have more than four unexcused absences in a marking term, or more than twelve unexcused absences in a year, may receive no-credit for that marking term or year and may be in danger of repeating a grade. See the “Guide to the Boston Public Schools” for more details on the district Attendance Policy (page 14).

The district is still finalizing guidelines for how absences will be handled in the event of a COVID related illness or quarantine. We will update this page once guidelines have been formally approved. If you have specific questions or concerns in the meantime please contact the main office (617-635-8127) or your student’s teacher.

Uniforms

Uniforms are mandatory at the JFK. Students may wear white or baby blue shirts with navy blue pants, shorts, skirts, or jumpers. Sneakers are preferred so that your child may fully participate in PE class and recess.

All BPS staff and students are expected to wear masks while indoors regardless or vaccination status, in all BPS buildings, and on the bus. Masks may be removed outdoors during recess, on a mask break, and while eating. Choose masks that have two or more layers of washable, breathable fabric, completely cover your nose and mouth, fit snugly against the sides of your face and don’t have gaps, and have a nose wire to prevent air from leaking out of the top of the mask. (source, slide 14)

Parents and Caregivers Visitor Policy

Due to COVID restrictions visitors are not allowed in the building without an appointment. If you need to meet with your child’s teacher please set up an appointment ahead of time.

COVID Testing and Protocols

This section was updated August 25, 2021. Stay up to date on district Health and Safety guidelines here: https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/Page/8748

Boston Public Schools will be participating in testing for teachers and staff. You can learn more about here on Slide 15. To participate in testing you must fill out a consent form.

Testing Consent Form

All testing is free, confidential and managed by public health officials. (more info)

There are three testing programs:
  • Pooled testing with follow-up testing (weekly)
    • Shallow nasal samples are collected and kept separate before being grouped at the lab.
    • If a group tests positive, individual follow-up testing occurs at the lab, without a second sample collection.
    • Individual test results are reported to the Health Services
  • Testing for students with symptoms
    • Shallow nasal swab samples collected at school using the “BinaxNOW rapid antigen test”
  • Test and Stay (close contact testing)
    • Shallow nasal swab samples collected at school using the “BinaxNOW rapid antigen test”
    • Tests are administered daily from the first day of exposure for at least five days by CIC Health Staff
Positive Case Reporting
  1. If a student’s illness is determined to be COVID-related the student must:
    1. Report the confirmed positive case to your school
    2. Remain home and isolate (if identified as having a positive result in school – the student will be placed in a medical waiting room or an identified space – 6 feet apart until parent pick-up)
    3. Monitor symptoms
  2. The school will notify BPS Health Services who will begin contact tracing and making calls
  3. A letter will be sent to the community

You can view the COVID case reporting dashboard here for case counts at JFK and all BPS schools