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DOE Fall 2022 COVID-19 Guidance

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DOE Fall 2022 COVID-19 Guidance

This guidance provides best practice considerations for schools for the 2022-2023 school year to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19 among students and staff. 

  • Vaccination: Vaccination is the best way to reduce COVID-19 risk. Encourage up to date COVID-19 vaccination for everyone six months or older. 
    • Visit the vaccine finder page(Open external link) or call 877-829-4692 to find a location near you.
    • Up to date includes boosters for everyone who is eligible and additional primary shots for some immunocompromised people. See At-A-Glance COVID-19 Vaccination Schedules (cdc.gov)(Open external link). 
    • Vaccination Requirements:
      • Vaccination is still required for all visitors entering school buildings
      • Vaccination is still required for all DOE employees
      • Vaccination is still required for other individuals who work in DOE buildings
      • Vaccination is no longer required to participate in high-risk extracurricular activities including high-risk PSAL sports 
  • Daily Health Screener:
    • No longer required to enter school buildings 
  • Stay home if sick: Students and staff should stay home if they show any symptoms of COVID-19 or other illnesses and get tested for COVID-19. 
  • Isolate if COVID-19 positive: Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for 5 days and can return to school on day 6 if they have no symptoms or symptoms are improving. They must wear mask until day 10 after symptom onset or date of positive test, whichever is earlier.
    • These cases should be reported to their school so they can be report into the sit room for exposure notifications.
  • Get tested if exposed to COVID-19: Students and staff who are exposed to COVID-19 should get tested. 
    • These individuals should receive home tests from their school and take two tests, at least 24 hours apart on day 4 and day 5 of their exposure. All exposed individuals should monitor for fever and other COVID-19 symptoms for 10 days after their exposure. If symptoms begin, they should not attend school and should isolate and get tested for COVID-19 again right away. 
  • Testing: 
    • Starting the first day of school, schools will offer home test kits to those with a potential in-school exposure and those with symptoms
    • In addition, each staff and student will receive 4 tests per month to take home. These tests can be used by school families for testing due to symptoms, exposures, high-risk activity (such as travel and large gatherings) and can give staff and students immediate results. 
  • Situation Room:
    • Schools will be required to report positive cases of COVID-19 to the situation room.
    • The Situation Room will provide schools with standardized communications for their communities and will notify school communities of cases in their schools through daily email and the Daily COVID map. 
  • Masking- Face coverings are strongly recommended to be worn when indoors.Masks will be made available at the school for all those who need/want them.
    • Students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear a mask when: 
      • Returning to school on the sixth day after testing positive for COVID-19, through day 10 after symptom onset or date of positive test, whichever is earlier, including when traveling on a school bus.
      • Entering the school medical room, nurse’s office, or school-based health center.
      • Exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 at school. 
    • Students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, are strongly recommended to wear a mask: 
      • When they were exposed to someone with COVID-19, whether the exposure occurred in school or outside of school. The person should wear a mask for 10 days after their last day of exposure and get tested at least 24 hours apart on day 4 and day 5 of their exposure.
      • When they are moderately-to-severely immunocompromised, and masking is recommended by their healthcare provider.
      • In crowded indoor settings 
  • Ventilation:
    • 160K+ air purifiers distributed to schools – at least two in every classroom
    • Monitoring ventilation in buildings on a daily basis and perform any required work in a timely manner
    • HVAC upgrades in alignment with CDC guidance, including 110,000 MERV-13 filters installed
  • School Building Cleaning:
    • Routine cleaning of surfaces will be maintained