Good Evening Parents and Guardians,
As discussed as a possibility in my communication sent on December 31, the State Department of Education together with the Department of Public Health has significantly changed the guidelines for quarantining staff and students who may have been exposed to COVID 19 during the school day. These changes are the result of the low transmission rates in school settings and our strict adherence to mitigation strategies.
Below is a summary of the impact to our quarantine protocols in Newington Public Schools:
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all mitigation strategies including mask wearing while indoors, hand hygiene, social distancing(when possible), and enhanced cleaning are to continue
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masks must also be worn by athletes at all times during practices and competitions
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Screen and Stay has been discontinued
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contact tracing has been discontinued, but we will notify staff and families about positive cases on a weekly basis on our website as well as daily by the following email updates by level:
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Elementary: by classroom
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Middle: by grade level
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High School: school wide
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only individuals who test positive for COVID 19 or are symptomatic and awaiting test results will need to be quarantined. It is important to note that the SDE/DPH now permits us to accept home COVID 19 test results.
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Individuals who test positive for COVID 19 may return to school as soon as Day 6 provided they are fever free for at least 24 hours (without fever-reducing medication), have significant improvement to their symptoms, and are cleared by the school nurse. Please note, for students who tested positive over holiday break, parents may contact their school nurse tomorrow if they would like their child considered for early return to school
We believe these new guidelines will further reduce the time that students are removed from the school setting. Based on our experience in NPS, very few individuals who were quarantined under our previous State guidelines, became COVID positive. As always, parents are urged to monitor their children’s health daily for any signs of COVID 19 and to reach out to their school nurse with any questions about the need to quarantine. We also continue to ask that you email your school principal and nurse if your child tests positive after hours or on weekends.
I am still awaiting updates regarding any availability of COVID 19 tests to support these new guidelines. I will keep everyone updated in this regard.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back tomorrow.
Happy New Year!
Be Well,
Maureen Brummett, Ed.D
Superintendent of Schools