UPDATE – January 2, 2022 at 6:15PM: We are experiencing a high volume of emails to our COVID reporting email address and phone line. Our team is working through messages as quickly as possible. However, please allow up to 24 hours for a response.
If you have any concerns about sending your child to school due to symptoms or exposure, please keep them at home until you’ve spoken with your healthcare provider or your child’s school nurse.
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Message sent via SchoolMessenger on January 2, 2022
Despite a significant number of anticipated staff outages, SOCSD is committed to an in-person return for all schools tomorrow, January 3 (Day 6).
Our administrative team met virtually earlier this afternoon to assess building-level needs and develop mitigation strategies to further enhance existing prevention measures. Although we are prepared to reopen, we need your support for a healthy start to the new year.
To protect our school community, it is vitally important that:
- Students and staff who are experiencing any COVID symptoms – including mild, common cold-like symptoms – stay home and consult their health care provider or school nurse before returning to school.
- Individuals who are awaiting COVID test results remain at home, even if they are asymptomatic. We are aware that testing demand has increased the wait time for PCR results. However those awaiting PCR results must remain at home until they receive those results–even if they have tested negative on a rapid test. Students who are asymptomatic and are either awaiting test results or are isolating after testing positive are eligible to attend school remotely.* Please send an email to covidreporting@socsd.org and allow one full business day for remote learning to begin.
- Students who test positive with a home testing kit should isolate for 10 days. Siblings residing in the same household who are not vaccinated should quarantine. Parents/guardians are encouraged to contact their child’s health care provider or school nurse with questions.
- Families and staff report COVID cases as quickly as possible. Reporting procedures are posted here. Students with a positive result on a home test kit should isolate and remain at home for 10 days.
- Mandatory indoor masking for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, and physical distancing is strictly enforced. Any changes to scheduled events in order to reduce the risk of transmission will be communicated by individual schools in the coming days.Please be aware that the Rockland County Department of Health has issued revised quarantine guidelines which now mandate quarantine for unvaccinated individuals within six feet of a confirmed case for more than 15 minutes within a 24-hour period in non-classroom settings (auditorium, gymnasium, cafeteria, buses), regardless of mask wearing.
We look forward to seeing our students and staff tomorrow.
*Remote learning is not provided for students who are absent due to illness or travel as the District is operating on a full-time, in-person basis.