First Week of School Update

[Español] Dear BCSS Families,

We are thrilled to be #BacktoBOLD with our students.

In our first week of school, we had five schools with no reported positive COVID-19 cases. In addition, we have less than 1% positive cases at most schools. We strongly encourage students and staff to continue practicing mitigation measures, such as wearing a mask, washing their hands, and staying home when sick (even when it’s just a stuffy nose or if a family member is sick).

The Barrow County School System is required by the Department of Public Health to complete contact tracing for positive COVID-19 cases and to quarantine close contacts. Going forward, we will post positive COVID-19 cases for staff and students every Tuesday on the district website. You can access that information here.

School staff will communicate with close contacts of a positive COVID-19 case on an individual basis to quarantine. This web page offers additional information about the quarantine process.

If a close contact has been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, then that person will not have to quarantine. For example, the person has received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and it has been two weeks after dose 2.

To expedite the contact tracing process, students or parents may submit a copy of the student’s COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card to be added to the student record. This is not required, but an option to help ensure your child does not need to miss school or extracurricular activities due to a quarantine. (If you have lost the vaccination card, you may also submit a GRIT printout from your doctor showing the immunization for COVID-19 as well).

There are two options to submit your child’s vaccination card.

1. Students may bring a photocopy of their COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card and submit it to their school registrar. (Do not bring the original card; it will not be returned.)
2. Students or parents may upload a digital photograph or scan of the COVID-19 Vaccination Record card through our website, which will be sent to the school registrar. You will need your child’s school ID number as part of the upload process as well. (You can find the number in the parent portal.) Uploaded photographs must be clear and legible - not blurry.

Need information about vaccinations for your student? We've compiled a list of local locations.

Thank you for the continued efforts of our teachers, school staff, students, and families as we continue to focus on learning and safety every day.