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We are looking forward to seeing our students on Wednesday, January 5! Please review the five items below to ensure your students are prepared for their return.
1. Classes for the spring semester will resume in-person on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, as scheduled.
We will continue to follow the COVID-19 Protocols adopted on November 10. If a school’s status changes, we will immediately alert impacted families. At this time, masks are strongly recommended but not required in buildings. Per the federal mandate, masks are required on school buses.
2. Please come to school healthy.
We all must do our part to keep ourselves and others healthy. Please …
- Stay home if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
- Stay home if you have tested positive for COVID-19.
- Stay home if you are awaiting a COVID-19 test result*, unless you are fully vaccinated and have no symptoms.
- Stay home if you have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 or someone awaiting test results, unless you are fully vaccinated and have no symptoms.
3. The CDC and DPH issued new isolation and quarantine guidelines on December 28, which BCSS will follow.
4. The Barrow Health Department is hosting a vaccination event at the Center for Innovative Teaching on Thursday, Jan. 6 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Students and adults will be able to get Pfizer dose 1, Pfizer dose 2, or a Pfizer booster shot. Flu shots will also be available. No appointment is necessary. Visit our website for vaccination event details. We encourage all students and staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
5. BCSS will be starting a voluntary, weekly COVID-19 testing program at schools.
Regular COVID-19 testing of students and staff will help us lower the risk of the disease in our schools by identifying positive cases of COVID-19 quickly. Testing will allow us to have regular in-person learning while making everyone feel safer.
What is the COVID-19 voluntary testing program?
- Participating students and staff will be tested for COVID-19 once a week by BCSS staff.
- The program starts the week of January 17, 2022.
- The PCR test is performed at your child’s school or employee work location.
- The COVID-19 test is quick, easy, and it does not hurt. A nasal test gently swabs the lower inner nostril. Watch our video demonstration!
- Testing is sent to the lab. Lab results are sent to the parent or employee within 24 hours. No news is good news. If you do not hear back about test results, you can assume a test was negative.
- The test is free. You do not need to pay for the test or have insurance to get the test.
- The program is optional, but we hope you will participate to help us stop the spread of COVID-19.
Visit our website for testing details. You can sign up at any time, but please sign up by January 10 to be included in the program starting on January 17.
The program is voluntary. Students and staff are not required to participate in the program.
*Test program volunteers who have no symptoms may continue to come to school/work while awaiting results unless they are unvaccinated and have a known exposure to a positive case.
We strongly encourage participation to help us reduce the spread of the COVID-19 disease.
Thank you and be well!
Barrow County School System