COVID-19

Yes.

 

You may be aware of a Nassau County Supreme Court ruling concerning the constitutionality of the state's mask mandate. We have received some outreach from families in response to this. The New York State Education Department has informed us that the state plans to appeal this ruling and that schools must continue to follow the mask rule at this time.

Therefore there is no change to the mask protocols we have been following. All students and staff members are required to wear masks at school. We will continue to follow the guidelines of the New York State Education Department and New York State Department of Health and will let you know if those change at any time.

New York State has established updated  Quarantine/Isolation Protocols.

Based on the updated procedures, parents/guardians should self-report when their student meets the definition of close contact while out of school and is staying home due to quarantine.   In that case, we ask that you contact one of our school nurses to provide the dates of quarantine, or complete and share a quarantine affirmation form.  This information will then be passed along to the appropriate building principal. 

Any student with symptoms, regardless of vaccination status, must have a negative lab NAAT test, lab antigen test, or two negative over-the-counter antigen tests (taken 24-48 hours apart depending on manufacturer instructions) to return to school. 

If you need a test kit, please contact your child’s school nurse.

If your child tests negative for COVID, the child must still meet the following three conditions to return to school:

• Be fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication
• Not have a productive cough, cannot be coughing up phlegm
• Not have a runny nose

Yes. Communication between home and school remains a critical component of our efforts to keep students and staff safe as we continue to respond to COVID.

Please be advised that all positive test results need to be reported immediately to your child's school using this Positive Test Affirmation Form and positive cases are still subject to isolation protocols. 

The exclusion from school for students who test positive for COVID or for unvaccinated students who are close contacts of a COVID positive individual has been shortened from ten days to five days.  Under specific conditions, these students may return to school on Day 6 of their exclusion. 

• How Do I Determine Day 6 for a child who has tested positive?
  • If your child is symptomatic, Day 0 is the day of the onset of symptoms
  • If your child is asymptomatic, Day 0 is the day your child was tested
  • For example:
    • Day 0
      • • Symptom onset or tested positive
      • Day 1: Stay home
      • Day 2: Stay home
      • Day 3: Stay home
      • Day 4: Stay home
      • Day 5: Stay home
      • Day 6: Return to school if asymptomatic

 

• What Are the Specific Conditions for Returning on Day 6 for a child who has tested positive?

• • Not have a fever for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medication
  • Have resolution of symptoms or all symptoms improving
  • Not have a runny nose
  • Have no more than minimal, non-productive cough (i.e., not disruptive to work and does not stop the person from wearing their mask continuously, not coughing up phlegm)

Other Notes:

When returning to the school setting on Day 6, for the remainder of the ten-day isolation, your student must consistently and correctly wear a well-fitting face mask or a higher-level mask such as a KN95. The mask should fit with no air gaps around the edges.  Such masks are available at the school office.

The response to the COVID pandemic is being refocused from contact tracing and quarantine to a system that now emphasizes monitoring and testing.

One of the keys to ensuring the success of this new approach is rigorous symptom monitoring.  Given the large number of positive cases in our region, the safest assumption is that we are all exposed on a regular basis and as such should be mindful of any COVID associated symptom.

Easily accessible testing is the second key to this new approach.  Testing sites are now open at SUNY Canton and SUNY Potsdam.  Information for these test sites is available at the following links:

• SUNY Canton
• SUNY Potsdam

Additionally, the federal government has launched a website that allows families to order free Over-the-Counter Antigen COVID-19 tests. By visiting covidtests.gov, each household can secure up to four (4) tests for personal use.

• In order to secure your tests, you will need to enter your contact information and shipping address. Please note that this offer is limited to four (4) tests per household, so if any individual has entered the same shipping address, you will not be able to order additional tests.

If you are unable to access the website or need additional support placing your order, please call 1-800-232-0233. 

Each week, New York State is supplying home test kits to schools.  Unfortunately, the shipments received are only a fraction of what is needed to send home with each student.  Test kits will be supplied on a first come, first serve basis as our supply allows. 

If you wish for the school to send a test kit home with your child, please complete a Request for At-Home COVID-19 Tests.

Please note that the home tests provided by New York State and distributed to school families require two negative tests taken 24-48 hours apart depending upon manufacturer instructions.  It is important to note that a child who tests negative with a home test may not be able to return to school until a second test is administered.  This may exclude a child from school for two or more days. 

Home tests are to be reported to Public Health (only if positive) at   Positive Home Test Result Reporting

and to the school district using this Positive Test Attestation Form.

Currently, we are still following the protocols in place.  However, a Section X committee is reviewing the protocols and will make a recommendation soon.