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Managing COVID-19 during the school year

August 26, 2022

Dear Stillwater Parents and Caregivers,

Our faculty and staff are very excited to welcome back all of our students for the 2022-2023 school year! To help you prepare for your child’s first day back, we wanted to share with you the latest update from New York State (NYS) regarding their guidance for schools in managing COVID-19 during the upcoming school year. These new guidelines are aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s movement away from strict mitigation measures.

Detailed information about what parents/caregivers should know about COVID mitigation strategies can be accessed by visiting the following site: Parent/Caregiver COVID Mitigation Strategies. The bullet points below will help you understand the impact on all of us as we return to school:

  • In-person instruction will be provided for all students.
  • Masks and face coverings are optional, and we continue to respect the decisions by students and staff on whether or not they choose to wear a mask.
    • Masks are not required on school buses.
    • The NYS Department of Health recommends that individuals should wear a mask during days 5-10 after testing positive for COVID-19.
  • Quarantines are no longer required for close contacts. Please continue to monitor your child for COVID-19 symptoms and have them stay home when sick.
  • Isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 is still in place. The isolation period may vary based on COVID-19 symptoms.
    • Please continue to report any positive cases so we can help your family navigate the absence and help your child to continue their learning.
  • School districts are no longer required to conduct contact tracing or report positive COVID-19 test results on a daily basis to the NYS Department of Health.
  • Physical distancing and cohorting are no longer recommended, so student activities and groupings will return to their pre-pandemic norms.
  • Testing is recommended for individuals with COVID-19 symptoms as soon as possible after those symptoms begin. We will have COVID-19 home tests from New York State available. Free COVID-19 test kits continue to be available in our schools, and may be picked up at the front desk of each building.
  • As with any infectious illness, students or staff who test positive for COVID-19, or who show symptoms, are asked to stay home from school and follow the Centers for Disease Control’s Isolation Guidance.

We thank you for taking the time to read this information so that you can help your child or children as they begin the school year, and we join you in looking forward to regaining a greater sense of normalcy in the year ahead.

Sincerely,
Patricia Morris
Stillwater Superintendent of Schools