Safety

The safety of our students and staff during this time is priority!

Your Responsibilities While in the School Building

We have put safety procedures in place to keep our students and staff healthy. 

  • Masks: Starting on March 7th, face coverings will be optional on school grounds for students in kindergarten through grade 12 as well as staff members.  Anyone who chooses to wear a mask may continue to do so, and your child may request a mask from their school if they need one. 

    The indoor mask mandate is still active for LYFE, EarlyLearn (Infants & Toddlers), 3-K, Pre-K, and 4410 classrooms. Children two years old and older and all staff and visitors in these classrooms, must continue to wear a face covering indoors. Since children under the age of five are not yet eligible to receive the vaccine, face coverings remain our strongest defense against COVID-19 for our youngest learners.

    In addition, any staff member or student in grades Kindergarten or higher returning on Day 6 following a positive COVID-19 diagnosis or after having COVID-19 symptoms without testing is still required to wear a well-fitting mask at all times on school property through Day 10.

    Masks are strongly recommended for any staff member or student who knows they have been exposed to COVID-19 within the previous 10 days. Mask wearing is still required in medical rooms and nurses’ offices, as well as in School Based Health Centers. Nurses will have masks on hand for anyone entering who may need one.   

  • Visiting our school:  All visitors (age 12 and older) must show proof of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination to enter a DOE building. Visitors do not include students attending school in a DOE building.  Visitors also must fill out a health screening form.

  • While in the building: When you enter the building, please check in at the front desk.

  • Illness: Students and staff exhibiting signs of illness or having a fever of greater than 99.9°F must stay home. If you or someone you know has COVID-19 (or shows symptoms of COVID-19 such as coughing or fever), it is required that you stay home or at a designated care facility for a minimum of 14 days. Please contact us via phone or email as soon as possible.

  • Directions for local COVID testing: Please visit the NYS Coronavirus Find a Test Site page to find a test site closest to you.

Safety Precautions Taken By Our School

In addition to asking everyone to wear masks, wash hands, and maintain social distancing, our school is taking several steps to improve the safety of our staff and students. These steps have been recommended by local health authorities to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and other illnesses. 

  • Improvements in ventilation: Every DOE room in use by students and staff for extended periods of time will have fully operational ventilation through either natural, mechanical, or a combination of means. As an added precaution, every classroom across New York City has been provided with two HEPA purifiers. Cafeterias in bigger schools will be provided with large HEPA units for added protection and window-based exhaust fans to provide additional air circulation, and we continue to increase ventilation in classrooms and schools. These measures meet or exceed guidance from the CDC.

  • Increases in cleaning frequency: All classrooms and common areas, such as auditoriums and gyms will have hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes available. High-touch” areas such as doorknobs and water fountains will be cleaned multiple times throughout the day, and each classroom will be deep cleaned and disinfected daily using electrostatic technology.

  • Hand sanitation: All bathrooms have been stocked with extra soap for frequent hand washing.

Vaccinations

All DOE employees, including school-based staff, will be required to be vaccinated. DOE employees will be required to provide proof that they have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccination by March, 11 2022. We also strongly encourage vaccination for all students 5 and older. 

All students and staff who participate in high-risk PSAL sports must be vaccinated against COVID-19. Students in fall high-risk sports must get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by their first day of competitive play. Winter and spring PSAL participants have until the beginning of their season to be fully vaccinated.

A vaccine mandate also applies to all high-risk afterschool extracurricular activities like chorus, musical theater, dance/dance team, band/orchestra (with concern for woodwinds), marching band, cheerleading/step teams/flag team. Students ages 5 and older participating in these extracurricular activities must be vaccinated in order to participate in these extracurricular activities

Health Screening

Every student and staff member must complete the Health Screening Form prior to entering the school building each day. Anyone entering the building must confirm that they are not experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, have not recently tested positive for COVID-19, and are not currently required to quarantine based on close contact with an infected person. If you need a thermometer to check for a fever, you can request one from your school.

If a student or staff member is feeling ill, they must stay home and get tested, which is an effective way of protecting the whole school community. Every school will have a nurse on staff to whom students can report if they are feeling ill.

Covid Testing

Regular COVID-19 testing provides school communities and public health experts with valuable information. Continuing the successful safety practices of last year, there will be regular testing for COVID-19 in our schools.

Every school will randomly test biweekly unvaccinated students, who have submitted consent for testing, at a threshold of ten percent of unvaccinated students per school population. This way, if there is a positive case, action can be taken right away to protect the school community. Students and staff who are fully vaccinated are not required to be tested.

For more information about testing please click on the following links:

Parent Letter - Random Testing for unvaccinated students.pdf

Parent Letter ESPANOL - Random Testing for unvaccinated students.pdf

Parent Letter CHINESE - Random Testing for unvaccinated students.pdf