Dear students,

As COVID-19 statistics improve, and vaccination rates both locally and within the School community increase, we are excited to anticipate a time when many of the day-to-day practices we know and value can resume. 

As always, the health and safety of our School community is of utmost importance. The School continues to follow its health and safety protocols, which are updated as guidance from the CDC and state and local health departments change. 

So with full reopening as an eventual goal and assuming favorable trends continue, we developed an NBSS Vaccine Policy that applies to all students, faculty, and staff. Additionally, we are in the process of determining what safety protocols we may keep in place and what our visitor policies will be for the Fall and beyond. We’ll update you on these over the summer.

Our Vaccine Policy is as follows:

• By August 30, 2021, NBSS will require vaccination against COVID-19 for all faculty, staff, and full-time students. 
• To assist any student who has a qualifying medical condition that contraindicates vaccination, or who objects to being vaccinated on the basis of sincerely held religious beliefs and practices, the School will engage in an interactive process to determine if a reasonable accommodation can be provided.
• Additional safety protocols may be required or recommended as appropriate for accommodation. Please contact Bryan McGrath in the Office of Student Life & Career Services at bmcgrath@nbss.edu if you would like to discuss an exemption.
• The vaccine requirement may also apply to other regular visitors to the building. We are reviewing our full visitor policies for the coming year, and will communicate when those are finalized. 
• Students should return a copy of their vaccination card (with birth-date redacted) and provide certification to Bryan McGrath by August 30, 2021. We will be following up in July with instructions on the certification process. 
• To view a full copy of the Vaccination Policy, please contact Bryan.

Safety Protocol Updates

Led by guidance by the CDC, we expect that some of our remaining current health and safety protocols may remain in place for next year, while others will stop. We are finalizing these changes and will communicate them to you over the summer.

We have determined these two safety protocols will change with the Fall start:

• We expect to return to full student capacity, as this is indicated by both the City of Boston and the CDC. 
• Full-time programs will return to using their program’s usual spaces fully (for example, Cabinet & Furniture Making will no longer be divided into the basement CE space)

If you have questions as you review this information, please relay them to Bryan McGrath, and we will work to answer them in the coming months. If it would be helpful, we can schedule several open Zoom meetings this summer for Q&A and discussion on any of these topics. Please let Bryan know if that is your preference.

For full information, please view our current safety protocols in the Reopening Plan and on our website at nbss.edu/covid19. We cannot thank you enough for all the hard work and diligence of the past year, and we’re hopeful a return to normal work is finally in sight.