It is important that each person or family’s individual choice about mask wearing is respected once this mandate is lifted. There will be no tolerance for harassment or bullying of others’ personal mask choice. Some may need to wear a mask because they or a member of their household is high risk for severe COVID-19 disease.
Updated DOH COVID-19 Requirements and Guidance for K-12 Schools (Effective 3/12/2022)
Masking:
Students, staff, and visitors will no longer be required to wear masks in school buildings or on school buses with a few exceptions (see table in picture):
EVSD COVID-19 Cases Notifications:
The East Valley School District will continue to send out the “EVSD COVID-19 Cases for the Week” email to staff and families each Friday. In addition, each of our schools will send out a notification to their staff and families if there is a COVID-19 case in their school. This notification will allow staff and parents to see if they or their student could be considered a “close contact” and should monitor for COVID-19 symptoms.
At-Home Isolation Protocol and Returning to School:
If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, they will be required to isolate, regardless of vaccination status. The isolation period is 10 full days from the start of symptoms or the date of positive test.
The individual may return to school after 5 full days of isolation if:
- Their symptoms have improved or they are asymptomatic, AND
- They are without fever for the past 24 hours without use of fever-reducing medications.
AND IF returning to school days 6-10, the individual is required to:
- Wear a well-fitted mask during days 6-10 of their isolation period, OR
- Test negative with a rapid antigen test (at-home test not accepted) any day after day 5. Rapid antigen tests are available via your school nurse.
If an individual is not able to wear a well-fitted mask or face shield with a drape, AND does not test negative, they are required to finish out their in-home isolation through day 10.
Remember, the best ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 is to continue to wash your hands often, cover coughs and sneezes, clean and disinfect regularly, wear a mask when needed, monitor yourself for COVID-19 symptoms, get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19, keep updated on vaccinations, and stay home if you are sick.
Once again, we would like to thank all of our students, staff, and families for your continued flexibility, patience, and understanding throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to seeing many smiling faces on Monday, March 14th.
East Valley School District
Additional Resource: