Ward 3 Update:

Dear Neighbors,

DC Public Schools (DCPS) has released a fair amount of information as to what students and families can expect when returning to in-person learning this fall. And, as with every year, I've conducted readiness tours and inspections of Ward 3 schools ahead of the academic year (pictures below). Undoubtedly, our local school leaders, teachers, and building staff are doing everything in their power to safely welcome students back to full time, in-person learning. And, while we all await further guidance and answers to outstanding questions from DCPS' Central Office, it is the planning, enthusiasm, and investment from our principals and building staff that give me hope for the upcoming year. Here is what we know so far:

Masks - Every person on school grounds will be required to wear a face mask. Masks may be removed for eating, drinking, and during nap time for pre-k students. Students must also wear masks when outside during recess, during before/after school care, and for any other school day activities.

A quick note on lunchtime: pre-k and kindergarten students will eat lunch in their classrooms to reduce exposure to other student groups. Large HEPA filters are being installed in all school cafeterias to enable older students to eat outside of their classroom. Every classroom will be outfitted with a small air filtration unit.

• Sports - Except when actively playing, student athletes will also be required to wear masks and maintain physical distancing when participating in higher risk sports (this includes those high-contact sports such as wrestling, football, basketball, hockey, lacrosse, martial arts, rugby, soccer, cheerleading, etc.).

Testing - Coronavirus testing will be conducted weekly by a saliva test to be administered by trained school staff or a deployed testing vendor. This weekly testing will include a random sampling of 10-20% of students and all unvaccinated staff. The results will be available to families and staff within 6-8 hours and school communities will be notified of positive test results within their student's classroom and/or school building.

• As testing is considered a medical procedure, all students and staff must submit an active consent form.
• Families, please complete the testing consent form as soon as possible: COVID-19 Testing Consent Form.

Quarantine Guidance - When a student or staff member tests positive, they will be required to isolate for at least 10 days and show improvement of symptoms (including no fever for 24 hours) before returning to school. Students who are required to quarantine will be provided with a device for learning at home.

There will also be quarantine requirements for those who come into close contact with someone who tests positive. A student in a school setting is determined to be in close contact when they spend 15+ minutes within 6 feet of an infected person within a 24-hour window within 2 days prior to illness onset or a positive test result.

There is, however, an exception to these close contact guidelines: students are not considered to be in close contact if they are consistently wearing well-fitting masks and other mitigating factors are in place (such as physical distancing or increased ventilation). With these types of variables at play, it is clear that each positive case will need to be evaluated to determine which safety protocols to follow.

When close contact is established:

• Unvaccinated Students & Staff - When an unvaccinated student or staff member is in close contact with someone who tests positive, he/she will be required to quarantine for at least 7 days. If the student or staff member tests negative on or after day 5 of this quarantine period, they will be permitted to return to the classroom. If no testing is conducted, then the quarantine period is extended to 10 days.
• Vaccinated Students & Staff - When a vaccinated student or staff member comes into close contact with someone who tests positive, but they do not experience any symptoms, then they do not need to quarantine. It is recommended that they are tested between 3-5 days after the initial exposure.

Even with all this information, there are several outstanding questions that I and our school communities have for DCPS. There's the question of how our more crowded schools will be able to offer 3-6 foot social distancing within classrooms, what supports will be in place for those schools interested in providing outdoor classroom/learning opportunities, and I'm particularly interested in learning at what point, or at what outbreak metric, would DCPS offer families a with a virtual learning option. I'll press for more answers during tomorrow's Council-Executive coronavirus conference call and will share any updates.

Regards,

Mary