COVID Info from MCPS (July 30, 2021)

7/30/2021 11:02 am

The Headlines

1. As of today (July 30, 2021), MCPS will not be conducting COVID testing in any schools for either staff or students.  
2. As of today, there is no requirement for a COVID vaccination for staff or students. It is also not allowed to ask the vaccination status of staff or students. 
3. As of today, MCPS has removed all COVID protocols (capacity, distancing, hallway movement, bus capacity, etc.) EXCEPT for mask-wearing while indoors. 
4. As of today, MCPS has not shared any COVID quarantine protocols or exposure rules. The Department of Health and Human Services will provide these. If a school is made aware of a positive COVID test through either self-reporting or Montgomery County contact tracing, a message will be shared with the school if needed.   

COVID-related questions: 

1. Besides masking, will school be back to “normal” or are there other pandemic-related changes?

As of this time, the only pandemic-related change is masking; the rest of the school experience is planned to be “normal.”  

2. Is there any chance school will open later as other districts have done?

MCPS says that school will open on August 30 as planned. The schedule will be the same as in 2019: 9:25 AM start time; 3:50 dismissal.

3. Will buses have open windows or new capacity restrictions?

At this time, buses have not been singled out for capacity restrictions. Windows do not have to be opened.  

4. What plans does the County have for COVID+ case clusters? Will schools return to short-term virtual learning school-wide, or will only ‘exposed’ students with direct contacts and/or symptoms of COVID be required to self-quarantine?

As of this time, MCPS has offered no guidance on what the plans are. Currently, there are no set protocols for quarantine. The Department of Health and Human Services will determine these protocols and decisions, and MCPS will follow its guidelines. 

5. Will staff be required to get vaccinated or take weekly tests?  What about children over 12?

There is no requirement for any type of testing of staff or students at school at this time. Pool testing, which was conducted last spring, has ended. Anyone who is tested would have to access testing outside of school. If positive test results are shared with the school through a contact tracing follow-up, the school will put a message out to the community.  

There will be no random Covid testing at schools. 

Additional notes: MCPS has not released full guidance on parents and volunteers in the school buildings. 

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When Mr. Rand returns from vacation next week, we hope to share more details specific to SCES, including orientation and back-to-school night schedules and the Welcome Back Social time and date.

In the meantime, please reach out with any questions or concerns. The PTA will do our best to get you answers.