WELCOME TO THE 2022/2023 SCHOOL YEAR!

QUESTIONS?

Please call your school right away to report absences. 

**See below the illness chart for detailed Lice protocol.  

*If your child is sick 3 days or more, the school nurse recommends a doctor visit.

• *LICE? Immediate or long-term exclusion is no longer recommended.
• Students with live head lice can remain in class and go home at the end of the school day,
• be treated, and return to school after the appropriate treatment has begun.
• Please click link: HEAD LICE FACTS and TREATMENT FORMS and call school for further guidance if suspected or known case.

 

 

 

 

 

*Si su hijo está enfermo durante 3 días o más, la enfermera de la escuela recomienda una visita al médico.

 

COVID-19 Health & Safety Guidance and Requirements

for 2022-2023 School Year

The Washington State Department of Health has issued updated COVID-19 health and safety guidance for schools this fall. Following these safety measures reduces the spread of COVID-19 in our school community.

Health and safety requirements for this fall:

• Masks are optional for all students, staff, and visitors.  Students with symptoms of respiratory illness will be required to mask while they are waiting to be picked-up from school.
• Students and staff who show symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to stay home, or go home, if they become ill at school.  Individuals will be expected to follow the guidance in the WA DOH  flowchart (click link) concerning when to return to school.  Please review the above illness chart as well. 
• Students, staff, and families seeking COVID-19 testing may contact their schools. Our school health services offices located in the Elementary and Middle School have access to at-home COVID tests that can be provided to staff, students and parents for administration at home.  The nurse will offer in office rapid testing at the Middle School Health Office Thursdays 730am-830am. **students must have consent for this in Final Forms.   
• Students and staff that test positive for COVID-19 are asked to isolate themselves at home for 5 full calendar days. After day 5, if symptoms are significantly improved and they have had no fever for the past 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, students and staff can come back to school. 
• It is recommended, but not required, that students and staff returning to school after their 5 days of isolation: 
• wear a well-fitted mask from days 6 to 10, and
• remain masked for sports and other extracurricular activities on days 6 to 10. 
• If students and staff test positive after 5 days of isolation, we ask them to stay at home until a negative result or for the full 10-day isolation period(whichever is sooner).
• We will continue to communicate case counts and outbreaks to families and staff in our weekly COVID-19 dashboard.  The dashboard will be updated weekly on Mondays.   *Additionally, please assume that we could all be exposed any time we are in public places. 
• Known Exposures:  please refer to WA DOH flowchart for all your questions. 
• Exclusion of Individuals with COVID-19 Symptoms: Students, children, and staff with new onset of respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms, such as cough, fever, sore throat, vomiting, or diarrhea, or other symptoms of Covid-19, should not attend school or child care, should stay home, and get tested for COVID-19. Follow the DOH What to do if a Person is Symptomatic flowchart. 

These guidelines are in place for all public and private K-12 schools and childcare facilities in Washington state.

Families are encouraged to test as needed at home. Students, staff, and families may access tests at no cost from all of our schools. Additionally, in Washington state, households can order up to 10 free tests per month from Say Yes! COVID Test program. Also, most insurance covers the cost of up to 8 self-tests per individual per month.  

Vaccinations:

Staying up to date on routine vaccinations is essential to prevent illness from many different infections. Vaccines reduce the risk of infection by working with the body’s natural defenses to help safely develop immunity to disease. For COVID-19, staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations is the leading public health strategy to prevent severe disease. Not only does it provide individual-level protection, but high vaccination coverage reduces the burden of COVID-19 on people, schools, healthcare systems, communities, and individuals who are not vaccinated or may not develop a strong immune response from the vaccines. The COVID-19 vaccine is now available for children 6 months and older. Booster doses are also available for children 5 years and older. You are encouraged to vaccinate your children if they are eligible, in consultation with your healthcare provider. 

**The guidance and requirements on this page are updated as plans are refined and public health guidelines change from local, state and federal health authorities.  So please check back often for updates. 

Need help during quarantine?  

Care Connect Washington is a program for people who have either tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed and need support to isolate or quarantine at home. Please visit the following link from the WA State Department of Health for more information:  CareConnectWashington