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DC Public Schools Outline New Safety Guidelines for Reopening

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DC Public Schools (DCPS) outlined its latest health and safety measures that will be in place throughout the 2021-2022 school year for full time in-person learning.

“We know that our students thrive best in our classrooms, and that is why we are excited to open fully for all students this fall,” DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee said on Tuesday. “We will work with our teachers, families and community to create a safe and trusting classroom experience where we will accelerate student learning. With collaboration, transparency, and a commitment to health & safety, we will ensure our buildings remain safe and healthy spaces for engaging and joyful learning experiences.”

Here are the changes students, their families, teachers, and school staff can expect for a safer environment:

  • There will be HVAC enhancements for well-ventilated spaces at every school, including state-of-the-art HEPA filters in classrooms and air quality sensors throughout the building.
  • All staff, students, and visitors are required to wear masks or face coverings, and daily PPE and hygiene supplies will be provided.​
  • Enhanced cleaning protocols will be implemented for high touch surfaces, and a deep cleaning will be conducted whenever there is a possible COVID-19 case.​
  • Students will be separated as far as possible, and desks and tables will face the same direction to the extent feasible.
  • Pre-K and Kindergarten students will eat in the classroom and all other grades will eat in the cafeteria, while maintaining a social distance to the extent feasible.
  • Student cohort interactions will be limited to the extent feasible.
  • Students and staff will perform a daily screening titled “Ask, Ask, Look,” but temperatures will not be taken upon arrival.
  • Schools will report positive COVID-19 cases with a school community if a person has been in the building during their infectious period, along with a quarantine protocol.

The school system’s new rules are based on the expertise of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the guidance of DC Health about the COVID-19 pandemic.

DCPS also urges all students age 12 and older, as well as staff to get vaccinated against the infectious disease “as an additional layer of protection.”

For further details about DCPS’s new COVID-19 rules, click here.

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