Mitigation Strategies

Masks

ACPS will provide masks (KN95, cloth or disposable) to students and employees upon request. Masks are not required, but they are encouraged when someone is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or has a known exposure to COVID-19, or when recommended by the CDC's COVID-19 Community Level for Albemarle County.

Hand Hygiene

Everyone is encouraged to wash or sanitize their hands frequently during the day. Hand sanitizing dispensers and/or sinks are available in multiple areas of each building and on each school bus.

Cleaning

Throughout the day, custodial staff disinfect high-touch surfaces. At night, custodians clean and disinfect classrooms and other spaces that were used during the day. Disinfecting wipes are available in all occupied classrooms for use by students and employees, as needed.

Ventilation

Air purifiers with high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are used in all classrooms, clinics, and school buses.

All students and employees should use our Daily Health Screening tool to decide if they should attend school or report to work. Anyone who is sick should stay home.

A student who becomes ill at school with fever, constant cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, persistent sore throat, vomiting, and/or diarrhea will be sent home. If the student has no known exposure to COVID-19 in the last 10 days, they may return to school when their symptoms have improved and they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.

A student who is experiencing COVID 19 symptoms* and has a known exposure to someone with COVID-19 within the past 10 days will be sent home from school. When a student becomes ill at school, the school will notify the parent/guardian, who will be asked to pick up their symptomatic child promptly.

The student may return to school when their symptoms have improved AND they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication AND one of the following applies:

• The student has provided a Return to School Form completed by a health care provider;
• The student has received a negative COVID-19 PCR test;
• The student has provided a signed Parent/Guardian Declaration Form as proof of two negative COVID-19 antigen (rapid) tests taken 48 hours apart OR one negative COVID-19 antigen test taken on or after Day 6 (with Day 0 being the first day of symptoms); or
• At least 10 days have passed since the onset of symptoms.

*COVID-19 symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, chills, fatigue, headache, stuffy or runny nose, vomiting, and/or diarrhea.

Flowchart: Students With COVID-19 Symptoms at School

The parent/guardian of a student diagnosed with COVID-19 should contact their child’s school nurse as soon as possible.

Any student who tests positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, must isolate (stay home and away from others) for at least 5 days. The student may return to school when their symptoms have improved AND they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication AND one of the following applies:

• They receive a negative COVID-19 antigen (rapid) test on or after Day 6 (with Day 0 being the first day of symptoms or the date of the positive test, whichever came first); or
• They wear a well-fitting mask on Days 6-10; or
• At least 10 days have passed since the onset of symptoms. (Without a negative antigen test or masking, the student may return to school on Day 11, after 10 days have passed since the onset of symptoms.)

Important Notes:

• ACPS will provide an antigen test to any student who needs one.
• A signed Parent/Guardian Declaration Form (or documentation from a health professional) must be provided as proof of a negative COVID-19 antigen test.
• For additional guidance, please visit the CDC's web page, Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19.

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Employees should report a diagnosis of COVID-19 to their school nurse or supervisor as soon as possible.

Any employee who tests positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, must isolate (stay home and away from others) for at least 5 days. The employee may return to work on Day 6 (with Day 0 being the first day of symptoms or the date of the positive test, whichever came first) if their symptoms have improved AND they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication AND they agree to wear a well-fitting mask on Days 6-10.

Important Notes:

• ACPS will provide an antigen test to any employee who needs one.
• Employees may remove their mask at work on Days 6-10 if they receive a negative COVID-19 antigen (rapid) test, although masking is still recommended.
• After you have ended isolation, if your COVID-19 symptoms recur or worsen, restart your isolation at Day 0. Talk to a health care provider if you have questions about your symptoms or when to end isolation.
• For additional guidance, please visit the CDC's web page, Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19.

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The following guidance and resources are offered on the CDC's web page, What to Do If You Were Exposed to COVID-19.

If you were exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 or have been told by a healthcare provider or public health authority that you were exposed, here are the steps that you should take, regardless of your vaccination status or if you have had a previous infection. Visit the CDC's web page, Understanding Exposure Risks, to learn how COVID-19 spreads and the factors that make risk of spread higher or lower.

Start Precautions Immediately

Wear a mask as soon as you find out you were exposed. Start counting from Day 1.

• Day 0 is the day of your last exposure to someone with COVID-19.
• Day 1 is the first full day after your last exposure.

Continue Precautions for 10 Full Days

Take precautions. Wear a high-quality mask or respirator (e.g., N95) any time you are around others inside your home or indoors in public. Do not go places where you are unable to wear a mask. Take extra precautions if you will be around people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19.

Watch for symptoms:

• Fever (100.4°F or greater);
• Cough;
• Shortness of breath; and
• Other COVID-19 symptoms.

If you develop symptoms:

• Isolate immediately;
• Get tested; and
• Stay home until you know the result.

Get Tested on Day 6

Get tested at least 5 full days after your last exposure (or sooner if symptoms develop).

• If you test negative, continue taking precautions through Day 10. You can still develop COVID-19 up to 10 days after exposure.
• If you test positive, isolate immediately.

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An outbreak is currently defined as three or more cases linked by a common exposure at school or work. If an outbreak is declared by the local health department, ACPS will, at the recommendation of the health department:

• Conduct contact tracing to identify and notify close contacts.
  • Close contacts will be asked to monitor for symptoms and wear a mask, if willing.
  • Close contacts who are asymptomatic do not need to quarantine.
• Notify all staff and families in the affected cohort (e.g., class, club, team, etc.) of the outbreak.
  • We will notify the full school community only if the outbreak crosses cohorts (i.e., involves multiple classes, clubs, teams, etc.).
• Track all documented outbreaks of COVID-19 across the school division and provide data to the public online through the ACPS COVID-19 Dashboard.
  • Note: In the 2023-24 school year, the ACPS COVID-19 Dashboard will not track individual cases, nor will schools notify staff and families of individual cases.
• Use assigned seating, whenever recommended and helpful, to assist with contact tracing efforts.
• Act according to any other recommendations of the health department.

Please note: Per the Virginia Department of Health, if a school is experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak that has been difficult to control or is unusual in size or scope, regional and local epidemiologists may apply professional judgment and recommend that traditional quarantine and isolation standards be applied until the situation is stabilized. For example, in the event of a large outbreak, the health department may recommend quarantine for close contacts who are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines. In such circumstances, ACPS will follow the guidance of our local Blue Ridge Health District.

Vaccination is the best protection against severe illness. The latest information about COVID-19 vaccines, including vaccine recommendations, how to get a free vaccine, and how to get a copy of your immunization records, is available on the Virginia Department of Health's COVID-19 Vaccination Response site.