The following message was emailed to MCPS families regarding COVID-19 protocols for the 2022-23 school year:
MCPS families,
While we’re hopeful that COVID-19 won’t be a distraction this school year, we want to remind you of some healthy practices to share with your children along with the district’s COVID-19 protocols, as some have changed since last year.
First, please continue to remind your children to practice healthy habits such as washing their hands. Also, while NOT REQUIRED, there may be instances when you want your child to wear a mask (e.g. in crowded areas).
As for attendance, students who are showing symptoms of COVID-19, or showing signs of illness in general, should stay home. Students who test positive for COVID-19 need to isolate at home for at least five days. They can return after five days if they are no longer showing symptoms or after ten days even with lingering symptoms. Many healthcare providers suggest wearing a mask for a total of ten days.
If a student has a doctor’s note for missed days, those days will be excused. However, if a student tests positive using an at-home test and does not have a doctor’s note, then parent notes will be required to excuse those absences. Reminder: students can use five parent notes throughout the year.
We recommend that students who test positive using at-home tests have those results verified by a doctor or through our partners at the Healthy Kids Clinic. This way, those absences can be excused without a parent note. You can contact your child’s school to schedule a time to be tested.
This year, MCPS will not be conducting contact tracing and close contacts (those who were near someone who later tested positive) are not required to quarantine. Because of this, the Test-to-Stay program that was used last year is no longer needed.
Most importantly, we want our students, staff, and community to stay healthy, so we can avoid the distractions COVID-19 has caused in the past. If you have questions or concerns, please contact your child’s school or the MCPS central office.
