Gonzaga Student Vaccination Policy

List of 6 items.

• What vaccinations are currently required in order for my son to attend Gonzaga?

  All Gonzaga students are required to receive all of the vaccines that are required by D.C. Health on the Universal Health Form. In addition, as of the 2021-2022 school year, the Covid-19 vaccination is also required. We are also strongly encouraging all students to receive a flu vaccine.

• How do I submit my son's health information to the school?

  Any parent or guardian can log into the Gonzaga website at www.gonzaga.org.  Under "Posts," users will see a login to Magnus Health. Click on that link to be taken to your Magnus Health portal, which is where all medical information needed by the school is provided by Parents/Guardians, including vaccine information and the DC Universal Health Certificate, as well as other required health information. The COVID-19 Vaccination Record is now a stand-alone queue in your portal in Magnus. Parents, even if they have already sent their son's vaccine card to Nurse Harper, must do it again here. 

• What if I have already submitted my son's Covid vaccination card?

  Even if you have already submitted your son's Vaccine Card to Nurse Harper, you still must upload it to your son's Magnus account.  Going forward, this is how we will be tracking Covid Vaccine compliance.  Our hope is to capture this data only once and you will not need to do this every year.  If a booster dose is recommended, we will proceed accordingly.

• How do I submit a request for exemption from vaccinations?

  As stated above, the only forms of exemptions that Gonzaga will accept are medical and religious.  

   

  Medical exemptions are to be completed by the student's health care practitioner and provide documentation of the medical condition that causes the need for the exemption and stating the specific need for an exemption.  These forms should be uploaded to the appropriate section on Magnus Health.

   

  Religious exemptions must stem from a sincerely held religious belief, documented by a letter from a religious leader of the family’s center of faith practice, authenticating why the vaccine is inconsistent with that particular faith's established belief system, as well as authenticating the family's active participation in that faith community.  This documentation should be uploaded to the appropriate section on Magnus Health, as well as sent to the Headmaster.

• What are the consequences of a student not being vaccinated?

  Per the enrollment contract, students not in compliance with Gonzaga's vaccination policy will not be able to attend school at Gonzaga.  Unlike the 2020-21 school year, Gonzaga does not intend to offer the option of distance learning unless absolutely required to do so, and so attendance on campus will be mandatory.  In addition, students not in compliance with the policy will be unable to participate in extracurricular activities, including athletics.

   

  Parents or guardians with strong personal objections to vaccines (not medical or religious) who do not intend to have their son vaccinated for Covid-19 or receive other vaccines should contact the Headmaster's Office as soon as possible to discuss withdrawal from the school.  Exceptions to the vaccination policy will not be made.

   

• If my son receives a religious or medical exemption and is unvaccinated as a result, how will that impact his schedule or activities on campus?

  Students who are exempt from vaccination due to medical or religious reasons will be required to take the following steps to help mitigate the possibility of coming into close contact with other students and causing them to be quarantined in the event the unvaccinated student contracts or is exposed to COVID-19.  This list may change as situations dictate.
  

   

  1. Daily health screening by using the health screening app provided by Gonzaga. Similar to the 2020-21 school year, parents will be required to complete a daily health screening for their son. Upon arrival to campus, he must present his virtual “green badge” confirming that he is symptom free at the Student Services Office prior to the start of classes each day.  
  2. Masking is required while on Gonzaga’s campus, both indoors and outdoors, with the exception of when eating lunch.
  3. As eating has been one of the primary causes of quarantine for students and faculty, unvaccinated students will be required to eat outdoors and at a 3-foot distance from other students OR in a designated indoor area for unvaccinated students, occupancy of which will be limited due to 6-foot social distancing that will be in place. Please note, due to the nature of Gonzaga’s personalized academic program, this will mean that unvaccinated students will not be able to choose who they eat lunch with on a daily basis. 
  4. Inability to participate in high risk/high contact activities, including:
     1. Choral, Band and Gonzaga Dramatic Association ensembles (Stage Crew is permissible);
     2. The following sports: soccer, football, basketball, lacrosse, wrestling, indoor track, water polo, hockey, squash, rugby;
     3. Any additional indoor activities where unmasking is required for participation. 
  5. Weekly Covid19 testing, at the student's family’s expense and at a facility of their choosing, with results provided to Gonaga’s School Nurse, Mrs. Amy Harper, at aharper@gonzaga.org by Monday of each week that school is in session.