DC Public Schools (DCPS) is starting its Term 3 reopening on Monday, February 1, for in-person classes with a series of safety measures against the spread of coronavirus.
Multiple options of in-person learning will be available in every school, including in-person learning (IPL) classrooms attended by teachers, CARE Classrooms or tutoring services attended by staff facilitators, and self-contained classrooms for special education students.
DCPS asks families to use the first two steps of the “Ask, Ask, Look” protocol at home every day before the student heads to school so that they can proactively identify possible COVID-19 symptoms.
The first two steps of the daily screening protocol are as follows:
- Ask your child if they are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
- Ask whether your child has been in close contact with anyone who has COVID-19, including people in your household in the past 14 days.
If the answer is “yes” to either question, the student should stay home, you should call your healthcare provider, and follow your school’s attendance reporting protocol.
“Students and the people in their household should also stay home if they traveled to a high-risk state or country for non-essential activities in the past 14 days,” according to DCPS.
If the answer is “no” to both questions, the student is allowed to attend in-person classes that day.
After students arrive at school, their temperatures will be taken. As part of the “look” step of the protocol, a trained staff member will check students “for signs of illness such as flushed cheeks, rapid breathing or difficulty breathing (without recent physical activity), fatigue, or extreme fussiness.”
In addition, students will use hand sanitizer and receive a face mask.
Parents and guardians should learn from their school the arrival and dismissal times for students. Children must be picked up on time, because there will be no after-school care.
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