August 23, 2022

Welcome back students, parents/guardians, staff and families. We are looking forward to a
wonderful school year and wanted to discuss the safety and wellbeing of our students, staff
and their families. According to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), staying current on
COVID-19 vaccinations is the leading public health strategy to prevent severe disease. In
addition, at our schools we continue to monitor air quality to reduce the risk of all germs and
contaminants spreading through the air, we continue to promote proper hand washing and
covering coughs and sneezes, and we are following recommended procedures for cleaning,
sanitizing, and disinfection in our buildings.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), quarantine is no longer recommended for
people who are exposed to COVID-19. Testing is recommended for people with symptoms of
COVID-19 as soon as possible after symptoms begin. Possible symptoms could include fever,
chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches,
headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or
vomiting, or diarrhea.

If you test positive for COVID-19, please review the CDC’s isolation guidance: stay home for
5 days, isolate from others in your home and wear a mask when indoors around others at home
and in public through day 10. After day 5, the CDC does state that if you have 2 sequential
negative tests 48 hours apart, you may remove your mask sooner.
Regarding ending isolation, the CDC stresses that if you tested positive for COVID-19 and
had no symptoms, you may end isolation after day 5. If you tested positive for COVID-19
with symptoms, you may also end isolation after day 5 if you are fever free for 24 hours
(without the use of fever-reducing medication) and your symptoms are improving.
The CDC has created a COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation Calculator to assist with isolation
and precautions. (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/isolation.html)
Have a great school year. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call.

Sincerely,
Michelle H. Powell
Coordinator of Student Services