Agenda

COVID Related Closures and Protocols: Overview and Key Terminology

Pause
FCPS is directed by the local health department to pause a student’s access to in-person instruction while contact tracing is implemented as a matter of public health

Quarantine
keeps someone who was in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 away from others (directed by local health officials)

Isolation
keeps someone who is sick or tested positive for COVID-19 without symptoms away from others, even in their own home (directed by local health officials)

2021-22 Health and Safety Guidance Document
(public facing resource with key information regarding FCPS COVID-19 protocols)         

COVID-19 Communications

Q: Who will send COVID-19 positive case notifications to families?

A: FCPS sends a number of communications to stakeholders to ensure persons are aware of COVID-19 positive cases in their school / workplace.
<graphic of FCPS COVID-19 Communications to Stakeholders>
FCPS COVID Dashboard - Updated Daily (division-level data & school-level data)

Close Contact Definition & K-12 Indoor Classroom Exception

Q: What is a close contact and when does the presence of a face mask impact whether an individual is considered a close contact?

Close Contact - Someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
<graphic of K-12 Classroom Close Contact Exception>
Note: When the K-12 Classroom Close Contact Exception does not apply, the presence of face masks does not influence whether someone is a potential close contact and the standard definition of close contact is to be used.

COVID-19 Contact Tracing and Case Investigation

Q: Is FCPS doing contact tracing for lunch exposure? How is this being ascertained? With secondary school students not having assigned seats and being able to eat inside or outside and no masking, how are FCPS and the Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD) ensuring effective contact tracing or preventative quarantining?

A: Yes, contact tracing process includes consideration of all in-school activities, including lunch and recess. The FCHD provides guidance to FCPS in order to identify potential close contacts.

If a COVID positive individual was on-site during their infectious period, the following individuals will be paused from in-person instruction/work until notified by FCPS that they can resume in-person activities. Persons subsequently directed by the FCHD to quarantine or isolate can resume in-person activities as directed by their health provider and are required to submit the Return to School or Return to Work Form.

• Staff who were within 6 feet or less of a Staff Case for a cumulative amount of 15 minutes or more within 24 hours
• Staff who were within 6 feet or less of a Student Case for a cumulative amount of 15 minutes or more within 24 hours
• Students who were within 6 feet or less of a Staff Case for a cumulative amount of 15 minutes or more within 24 hours
• Students wearing masks who were within 6 feet or less of a Student case outside the classroom setting for a cumulative amount of 15 minutes or more within 24 hours
• Students wearing masks who were within 3 feet or less of a Student Case in the classroom setting for a cumulative amount of 15 minutes or more within 24 hours

Draft - COVID-19 Pause, Quarantine, Isolation Response

Q: What is the plan for providing special education services when a child, teacher, or class needs to quarantine, isolate, or pause pending contact tracing?

In-Person Closure Type:	Individual Student(s)
Threshold to Initiate In-Person Closure	Student(s) is directed by their health provider or local health department to quarantine or isolate; or FCPS is directed by the local health department to pause a student’s access to in-person instruction while contact tracing is implemented as a matter of public health; AND The student’s class school and class remain open for all other students
Student Support During Closure	No later than Day 3 of a student’s pause/quarantine/isolation period, schools will provide limited live streaming support to students as follows: Elementary = live streaming access to observe daily morning meeting and the focus lesson in Language Arts and mathematics Secondary = live streaming access to introductory lessons and any direct/whole group lessons in all courses except when instruction occurs in an unique setting where streaming is not practicable (e.g., outside PE courses, advisory) Additional class assignments will continue to be posted in Schoology course or Google classroom for asynchronous completion. Student/parent/guardian questions can be emailed to the teacher for response within 24-48 hours. Student Attendance1
Special Considerations for Students w/ Disabilities	All Absences SWD will continue to receive FAPE through limited live streaming and asynchronous instruction3. Teachers will ensure instruction provided enables SWD to: Make progress in the general curriculum and Advance appropriately toward attaining IEP goals If students are well enough to participate, students will receive physical therapy, occupational therapy, and/or speech and language services outlined in their individualized education program (IEP) through synchronous sessions via teletherapy (parental consent required). Extended Absence (Greater than 10 Consecutive School Days) If a SWD is absent or expected to be absent more than 10 consecutive school days due to COVID-19 infection and the school remains open, then the IEP Team must: Determine whether the child is available for instruction and could benefit from homebound services such as online or virtual instruction, instructional telephone calls, and other curriculum-based instructional activities, to the extent available. If a child does not receive services during an extended absence, a school must make an individualized determination whether and to what extent compensatory services may be needed.

Note: Information contained herein is subject to change based on updated local, state and/or federal guidance.

Q: What is the plan for providing special education services when a child, teacher, or class needs to quarantine, isolate, or pause pending contact tracing?

In-Person Closure Type:	Individual Teacher
Threshold to Initiate In-Person Closure	Teacher is directed by their health provider or local health department to quarantine or isolate; or FCPS is directed by the local health department to pause a teacher’s access to in-person teaching while contact tracing is implemented as a matter of public health; AND The teacher’s school and class remain open for students
Student Support During Closure	Schools will secure a substitute/alternate coverage for continuity of in-person instruction for the teacher’s class(es)
Special Considerations for Students w/ Disabilities	Students receiving services from a physical therapist, occupational therapist, and/or speech-language pathologist, can access services via teletherapy model if the provider is able to participate and if parental consent for teletherapy has been provided. If the provider is unable to serve students while quarantined, make-up sessions will be provided.

 Note: Information contained herein is subject to change based on updated local, state and/or federal guidance.

Q: What is the plan for providing special education services when a child, teacher, or class needs to quarantine, isolate, or pause pending contact tracing?

 

In-Person Closure Type:	Class
Threshold to Initiate In-Person Closure	FCPS is directed by the local health department to temporarily close the entire class as a matter of public health to conduct contact tracing and case investigation, respond to an outbreak, or address other public health matters
Student Support During Closure	All students and staff in the impacted class will transition to virtual learning for that class (period for secondary students) until the class can reopen. During such time, secondary students in the impacted class will access work for their other classes via limited live streaming and asynchronous assignments made by their teacher(s). Assignments will be accessed through the Learning Management System (e.g., Schoology) or be available for pick up at the school. Student Attendance3
Special Considerations for Students w/ Disabilities	SWD will continue to receive FAPE through remote instruction (synchronous, asynchronous and limited live streaming) as provided for the general student population. Teachers will ensure remote instruction provided enables SWD to: ●    Make progress in the general curriculum and ●    Advance appropriately toward attaining IEP goals

 Note: Information contained herein is subject to change based on updated local, state and/or federal guidance.

Q: What is the plan for providing special education services when a school or division needs to quarantine, isolate, or pause pending contact tracing?

 

In-Person Closure Type:	School	Division
Threshold to Initiate In-Person Closure	FCPS is directed by local or state health officials to temporarily close the school as a matter of public health to conduct contact tracing and case investigation, respond to an outbreak, or to address other public health matters	FCPS is directed by local or state health officials, or Executive Order to temporarily close the division as a matter of public health
Student Support During Closure	All students and staff at the school will transition to remote learning to ensure continuity of learning until in-person instruction can resume. Student Attendance2	All students and staff will transition to virtual learning to ensure continuity of learning until in-person instruction can resume Student Attendance4
Special Considerations for Students w/ Disabilities	SWD will continue to receive FAPE through remote instruction as provided for the general student population. Teachers will ensure remote instruction provided enables SWD to: ●    Make progress in the general curriculum and ●    Advance appropriately toward attaining IEP goals	SWD will continue to receive FAPE through remote instruction as provided for the general student population. Teachers will ensure remote instruction provided enables SWD to: ●    Make progress in the general curriculum and ●    Advance appropriately toward attaining IEP goals

  Note: Information contained herein is subject to change based on updated local, state and/or federal guidance.

Draft - Remote Instruction During COVID Related Closures

Q: How does FCPS plan to be in compliance with the new VDOE guidance from the Superintendent’s Memo on August 18, 2021?

Specifically relating to quarantining students on page 3 of the memo: “In cases of quarantine, a student who is not ill and is able to participate in remote instruction should be offered meaningful opportunities to do so. Students should be counted as present or absent per that division’s policy on attendance tracking and monitoring for any remote learning day. If a division does not offer remote learning to a quarantined student the student should be counted as absent. This circumstance should be extremely rare, as divisions should be prepared to support students who are healthy enough to participate in remote learning during quarantine. It should be noted that school divisions must ensure that students with disabilities are offered a free and appropriate public education in accordance with federal and state regulations and guidance"

A. Remote Instruction: Remote instruction includes both asynchronous and synchronous instruction.

No later than Day 3 of a student’s pause/quarantine/isolation period, schools will provide limited live streaming support to students as follows:

• Elementary = live streaming access to observe daily morning meeting and the focus lesson in Language Arts and mathematics

• Secondary = live streaming access to introductory lessons and any direct/whole group lessons in all courses except when instruction occurs in an unique setting where streaming is not practicable (e.g., outside PE courses, advisory)

Additional class assignments will continue to be posted in Schoology course or Google classroom for asynchronous completion. Student/parent/guardian questions can be emailed to the teacher for response within 24-48 hours.

FCPS will ensure that students with disabilities participating in remote instruction are able to:

• Make progress in the general curriculum; and
• Advance appropriately toward attaining IEP goals

COVID-19 Questions

Q: Is exposure in elementary schools being handled differently than for secondary schools?

A. Guidance for determining potential close contacts to COVID exposure is the same at all levels, based on the CDC K-12 Indoor Classroom Exception. When identified as a potential close contact, individual students will complete asynchronous assignments made by their teacher(s). Assignments will be accessed through the Learning Management System (e.g. Schoology) or be available for pick up at the school.

In the event that an entire class is directed by the FCHD to temporarily close, all students and staff in the impacted class will transition to synchronous virtual learning for that class (period for secondary students) until the class can reopen.

During such time, secondary students in the impacted class would access work for their other classes via asynchronous assignments made by their teacher(s).

Assignments will be accessed through the Learning Management System (e.g. Schoology) or be available for pick up at the school.

Q: When must students test after exposure and how long must they quarantine after exposure?

A: Students are not required to test following exposure to a COVID positive case.

• The FCHD recommends testing 3-5 days after exposure to get a COVID-19 positive individual.
• FCHD uses a 14-day quarantine period for persons identified as close contacts. Even if the student receives a negative test result, quarantine is not shortened. The student will not be able to access in-person instruction until the quarantine is completed.
  • The Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD), like the CDC and the Virginia Department of Health, continue to recommend a 14-day quarantine period after the last close contact to a person with COVID-19 as the safest and preferred length of quarantine
• Local public health authorities determine and establish the quarantine options for their jurisdictions. CDC currently recommends a quarantine period of 14 days.

Q: How long are those who test positive required to isolate? Is a negative test required prior to returning to school?

A: Only the FCHD, or a medical provider, may provide direction regarding isolation. A COVID-19 positive case is typically directed to isolate for 10 days. A negative test is not required to return to in-person learning. The Return to School Form / Return to Work Form must be completed before a student may return to in-person learning. Copies of FCHD clearance letters (Sara Alert forms) or a healthcare provider note are accepted.

Q: Who will be responsible for sending out notices to students and families? Parents need to better understand what exactly those notices mean for their children and what follow-up action is required. Is there a central phone number and/or email address for parents to contact when they have questions about procedures they must follow.

A: The school (principal or designee) disseminates COVID notifications to stakeholders. Both FCHD and FCPS provide resources regarding COVID-19 to support understanding of the disease and the contact tracing process.

FCHD Information and Resources

• FCHD COVID-19 Website
• Questions about COVID-19 can be addressed by the FCHD at 703-267-3511 (9am to 7pm weekdays and 9:30-5pm on weekends). The FCHD contact information is included in Potential Close Contact Notification, Staff Notification, and Community Notification.
• Families may also email [email protected] (monitored 8am to 6pm weekdays).

FCPS Information and Resources

Information regarding FCPS COVID-19 procedures are available on the FCPS Health and Safety Guidance Document located on the FCPS webpage.

Q: Will there be separate quarantine rooms in the schools for students who may have Covid, or are all kids that need medicine going to be subjected to potential COVID kids in the clinic? Many of our students with disabilities take medication during the school day.

A: Students who present with COVID-like illnesses (CLI) are sent to the CARE Room. The CARE Room is a seperate room to assess students who present with COVID-like symptoms. Students who do not have CLI are supported in the Health Room.

Additional Updates

COVID-19

• Mask Refusals Vaccination Clinics
• Impact on Extracurricular Activities

Special Education

• Recovery Services
• Training Updates / Restraint & Seclusion Neurodiversity and Trauma Informed Specialists
• Special Education Vacancies / Director of Procedural Support
• Special Education Review