The Washington State Department of Health recently released their updated COVID guidance and requirements for K-12 schools.
Key updates are below.
Changes Effective March 12
-
Masks become optional in all school facilities & buses, except in health rooms.
-
Contact tracing is no longer required.
-
Physical distancing (3 and 6 feet) is no longer required. Districts are encouraged to maintain physical distancing as much as possible without interfering with the school’s instructional, social/ emotional/ behavioral, and operational needs.
-
Sports testing is no longer required.
Phased-in Changes
-
Building principals will assess desk arrangements, cafeteria set-up, recess cohorts, and other building changes. These changes will likely be implemented during the week of March 21.
-
Field trips and expanded volunteer programs will likely be phased in after Spring Break.
Other requirements remaining in place*
-
All employees & volunteers in educational settings are required to be fully vaccinated or have a medical or religious exemption.**
-
Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 are required to isolate at home following current DOH and CDC isolation guidelines, regardless of vaccination status.
-
Staff will continue to be notified when there is an exposure in their school/ department.
-
The district will continue to update the COVID dashboard every other week.
-
School-Based Testing remains in place for students and staff to access an on-site COVID test. More information can be found here: http://www.asd103.org/departments_and_programs/health_services___students_/test_to_stay_program
The district will continue to take a cautious approach in removing mitigation measures, following state and local guidance.
Thank you for your continued support and flexibility throughout the pandemic.
*A full list is available in the updated guidance: https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-03/821-165-K12SchoolsChildCare.pdf
**A person is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks after they have received the second dose in a two-dose series of a COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) or a single dose COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., Johnson & Johnson (J&J)/Janssen) authorized for emergency use, licensed, or otherwise approved by the FDA or listed for emergency use or otherwise approved by the World Health Organization.