Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful winter break and joyous New Year. The new year always gives us hope and allows us the opportunity to begin again. This year, 2022, I am hopeful that the challenges we have faced in the past will diminish and life will begin to return to what we all want.
Many of us have struggled this season with Covid-19, including my own family. It seems to be so widespread and affecting everyone. I know this break was so needed, time for family, time to rest and time to plan gatherings but due to many of you being sick, it was not possible. Over the break, I have been in contact with our staff and our community, and so many people have tested positive. As a city, our positivity rate has increased to 32.3% (https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-data.page).
Many of our staff and students will not be able to return this week, as they are part of this positivity rate. It seems that PS 88Q can not escape this situation as well. If your child returns with covid like symptoms, we will follow the protocol below. If your child is not feeling well, or has tested positive, please keep your child home until they are cleared.
Our Chancellor has issued new guidance, of which I emailed to your student accounts, as well as placed on our website and instagram. PLEASE CHECK YOU CHILDS STUDENT EMAIL, AS IMPORTANT INFORMATION IS SENT VIA NYCSTUDENT EMAIL. IF YOUR CHILD TESTS POSITIVE, PLEASE EMAIL ME (LOSHAUGHNESSY@SCHOOLS.NYC.GOV)
Please see Family Letters below. It is a big change in covid protocols. Please read the letters (translated copies are attached as well). Here are a few of the highlights:
- For students in kindergarten through grade 12, unvaccinated or not yet fully vaccinated students who were in close proximity to a positive case will no longer have to quarantine and will continue attending school if they do not have symptoms and do not have a positive test result from a COVID test. Instead, all students and adults in that classroom will receive a take-home rapid test kit and take two tests over the course of five days.
- For students in 3-K and Pre-K, the quarantine policy will remain the same, meaning that any 3-K or pre K student who was in close proximity to a positive case will still have to quarantine for 10 days.
- If your child was exposed to COVID-19 at school, please help your child take the first test on the day they receive the home test and help your child take the second test five days after exposure or at the first indication of symptoms.
- Your child may continue to attend school as long as your child receives negative test results and does not experience any symptoms of COVID-19.
- If your child has COVID-like symptoms or feels ill before the fifth day, please have your child isolate and take the second home test immediately.
- If your child tests positive on either home test, your child must isolate for 10 days following the first positive result. Please contact your child’s school immediately to inform them and for further guidance.
- If your child had symptoms of COVID-19 at school, please help your child take the first test immediately and help your child take the second test 24 hours later.
- Your child may not attend school until they receive negative results on both of these home tests taken within 24 hours of each other and have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication OR if your child receives a negative test result from a PCR COVID test.
- If your child tests positive on either home test, your child must isolate for 10 days following the first positive result. Please contact your child’s school immediately and report the test results.
- ● Any student who tests positive on a take-home test should immediately report it to the school and begin isolating. Students who test positive must isolate for 10 days and can return to school on Day 11. No negative test is required to return to school.
I am looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow! Happy 2022!
