Our Mission

Working together as a team, we will end the predictive value of race, class, gender, and special capacities for our children’s success through high quality teaching and learning for all. We seek to build relationships with families and communities to ensure that every student succeeds. We will know every student.

Our Mission

Mitigation Strategies

Last updated December 6, 2022

Albemarle County Public Schools (ACPS) will implement the following mitigation strategies and practices for the 2022-23 school year. Strategies are developed and updated based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), the Blue Ridge Health District (BRHD), and local medical professionals. ACPS closely monitors COVID-19 transmission data in our community and in our schools and regularly consults with the health department on our safety measures.

Current mitigation strategies are subject to change based on the level of community transmission and guidance from public health officials. ACPS will communicate any changes or modifications to our school community.

Masks, Hand Hygiene, Cleaning & Ventilation

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.

Daily Health Screening

Management of Illness at School

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 and may not return to school until their symptoms have improved, they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, and one of the following has occurred:

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 a negative COVID-19 antigen (rapid) 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.

Important Notes:

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.
If a symptomatic student has recovered from COVID-19 in the past 90 days, the parent/guardian is advised to contact their health care provider to see if testing is recommended. The student may return to school per their physician’s recommendation or with a negative COVID-19 antigen (rapid) test, as long as their symptoms have improved and they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.

Response to a Confirmed Case of COVID-19

Includes guidance on reporting a confirmed case of COVID-19, outbreaks, and quarantine and isolation.

Reporting Expectations

Outbreak Protocol

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 take the following steps:

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.
- The full school community will be notified 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 2022-23 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 helpful, to assist with contact tracing efforts.
Act according to any other recommendations of the health department.

*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. A person is “up to date” on their vaccines when they have received all doses in the primary series and all recommended boosters, when eligible.

Quarantine & Isolation Guidance

Following an Exposure to COVID-19

Regardless of vaccination status, quarantine is not currently recommended in K-12 school settings for any individual who is exposed to COVID-19 and remains asymptomatic. As long as the student or employee remains without symptoms, they may continue to attend school or report to work.

An individual has been "exposed" to COVID-19 if they have been within 6 feet of a person who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, or if they have had direct contact with the respiratory secretions (such as from a cough or sneeze) of an infected person. Persons who have had recent confirmed or suspected exposure to an infected person are recommended to wear a mask for 10 days around others when indoors and to seek testing 5 days after exposure (or sooner, if they are symptomatic).

Following a Positive Test

Any student or employee who tests positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, must stay home for at least 5 days. They may not return to school or work until their symptoms have improved, they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, and they have received 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). Without a negative antigen test, the individual may not return until at least 10 days have passed since the onset of symptoms.

Important Notes:

ACPS will provide an antigen test to any student or staff member who needs one.
For students, a signed Parent/Guardian Declaration Form (or documentation from a health professional) must be provided as proof of a negative COVID-19 antigen test.
Following a COVID-19 diagnosis, the earliest an individual may return to school or work is Day 6. For those who return to school or work following a negative antigen test, students are recommended and staff are required to wear a mask through Day 10.
If the individual chooses not to get tested, the earliest they can return to school or work is Day 11.

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. In such circumstances, ACPS will follow the guidance of our local Blue Ridge Health District.

Vaccination

COVID-19 Forms

The following forms are currently in use:

Daily Health Screening: for daily use by students and employees before attending school or reporting to work
- Screening tool - English
- Screening tool - Spanish
Isolation Instructions: instructions for individuals who test positive for COVID-19
Parent/Guardian Declaration Form: serves as proof of a negative at-home antigen test
- Declaration Form - English
- Declaration Form - Spanish
Return to School Instructions for Students: instructions for students who are sent home from school with COVID-19 symptoms (includes Return to School Form and Parent/Guardian Declaration Form)
- Return to School Instructions - English
- Return to School Instructions - Spanish

At the direction of the health department, the following forms may be used in conjunction with contact tracing during a COVID-19 outbreak:

Close Contact Guidance: for use when quarantine is not recommended

For information about COVID-19 testing in our area, please visit the Blue Ridge Health District's COVID-19 Testing Sites web page.