South Orange-Maplewood Back to School: Masks Optional, No Remote Learning, No COVID Dashboard

From SOMSD:

August 31, 2022

View SOMSD 2022-23 SY Return to School Newsletter & Guidebook – https://bit.ly/3Rqeasw

Good Afternoon SOMSD Community,

We will soon begin our 2022-2023 school year with staff returning to school buildings and students walking our halls and studying in our classrooms. Thanks to the work of many over the course of the last two and a half years, we are finally moving toward a sense of full normalcy.

In our Fall 2022 Return to School newsletter you will find information on free & reduced lunch applications, Chromebook distribution for new students, assessment and testing dates for the 2022-23 SY and updates to Medistation Covid testing.  Most importantly you will find important guidelines for the 2022-23 SY in our “Return to School Guidebook.”  What we hope you will notice is that we are transitioning, like most other school districts, with far fewer restrictions connected to COVID-19 (see the key highlights below). We are hopeful that this transition will ultimately be to an ‘endemic’.

2022-23 SY Return to School: Key Highlights:

1. All SOMSD school buildings PreK-12, buses and facilities, regardless of vaccination status, are now mask optional/friendly. District exceptions, where mask will be required, include:
   • During large indoor gatherings;
   • For individuals returning to school after COVID positive isolation on days 6-10 – indoors and outdoors;
   • As recommended by the DOH (i.e., significant increase in transmission, outbreak);
2. Isolation is required for individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and students/staff must stay home when experiencing symptoms of COVID-19;
3. Quarantine is no longer recommended for people who are exposed to COVID-19 in schools and Early Childhood Education (CDC, August 2022);
4. The District will no longer provide remote access to our classrooms due to Covid-related absences. We are moving back to pre pandemic absence protocols, therefore, absences for Covid-19 will be handled like any other absences for illness, and school work will be provided as it would be in the case for any other illness or absence from school;
5. We will no longer maintain the weekly Covid dashboard of cases nor will we send school notifications for positive cases.  If there is an outbreak in a SOMSD classroom or school or program, only the affected groups will be notified with public health guidance;
6. Weekly testing for unvaccinated personnel in school districts is no longer required (August 15, 2022, Governor Murphy signed executive order 302);
7. In addition to above requirements, parents may make masking and testing decisions for themselves and their children – in school and out in the community –  understanding that they and their children could be exposed to COVID-19 at any time;
8. We are encouraging vaccinations.

Please review the District Return to School Guidebook and website for more information on return to school health/safety guidelines: https://bit.ly/SOMSD_22-23SY.  Enjoy the last few days of summer!

South Orange & Maplewood School District