Health & Safety Information

COVID Update May 2023

On May 11, 2023, the federal government ended the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), which means that COVID efforts shift from emergency response to managing COVID-19 alongside the flu and other illnesses.

Continuing the Layered Approach:

APS will use our established practices, which includes consultation with Arlington health officials, to respond to rising cases of COVID-10 in a particular school. While the emergency phase has ended, we remain focused on the health and safety of our students and staff and will continue layered measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools, including:

Ending the Vaccine Requirement

APS will end the COVID vaccine mandate for staff and volunteers, effective June 1, 2023, in alignment with the County’s announcement ending its vaccine requirement. While it is no longer required, we encourage everyone to stay up-to-date with vaccines (including boosters).

Summer School and School Year 2023-24

The following changes will take effect July 1, 2023:

  • Surveillance Testing Ending: The opt-in COVID testing program currently offered in schools will expire at the end of the current school year, as there is no funding to sustain the testing program and rapid tests are widely available through schools and other locations.
  • Isolation Guidance: We will continue to communicate the expectation that  students and staff who have a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 get tested immediately and follow the recommendations from the CDC for 5-day isolation.
    • Students and staff who test positive should report it to the school, and follow CDC guidelines.
    • After July 1, students will not be required to provide medical clearance to return to school after a positive test; however, we expect all to follow the CDC guidelines for isolation.
  • COVID-19 Dashboard Archive: APS will archive our COVID-19 dashboard and move the monitoring of outbreaks of COVID to the School Health Bureau in alignment with other illnesses such as the flu and gastrointestinal viruses.
  • All other protocols remain in place.

As we work to keep our schools safe, remember to keep your students home if they are sick or experiencing symptoms, and follow CDC guidance for COVID-19.

 Helpful Links for Families:

COVID-19 Protocols  |  COVID-Like Symptoms  |  Positive Cases  |  Close Contacts  |  Vaccination  |
Prevention Strategies  |  Students at High Risk

COVID-19 Protocols 2022 – 2023

Masks are optional in all buildings and on buses, per CDC guidance on COVID-19 Community Levels.

  • Masks in school clinics: Per CDC guidance for healthcare settings, all school health staff will be required to mask within school clinics and nurses’ offices. Personal protective equipment (PPE) will be worn by school health staff if a student at the clinic presents with COVID-like illness. To align with CDC guidance for healthcare settings, students will be requested to mask upon entering the clinic. School clinics will provide masks for students to wear. In compliance with Virginia code, students may decline the mask provided to them and will still be permitted in the clinic.
  • Masks for close contacts: The CDC recommends that individuals with a known or suspected exposure to COVID-19 wear a well-fitting mask or respirator around others for 10 days from their last exposure, regardless of vaccination status or history of prior infection.
    • APS is no longer contact tracing, unless an ongoing in-school outbreak is identified. As a result, close contacts will predominately be self-reported. APS encourages, but does not require, the use of masks among close contacts for 10 days following exposure, in accordance with CDC and VDH recommendations and Virginia state law. Families should consider their risk factors and encourage students to mask APS accordingly.

In-School Testing: APS will continue to offer optional in-school COVID testing (through June 2023) for all students and staff through our testing partner, Aegis Sciences Corporation.

How to OPT IN to Testing:
If this is your first time participating:

    • You can OPT IN here (students)
    • OPT IN for APS employees here

COVID-Like Symptoms

Students with COVID-like symptoms who are sent home or who call out sick must provide a negative test or alternative diagnosis from a healthcare provider prior to returning to school (through June 2023). All test types are permitted for clearance to return (including lab report, physician’s note, or image of an at-home rapid test result, confirmed by parent). The test must be taken after the student developed symptoms, and documentation of the negative result should be provided. Submit documentation for clearance here.

After July 1, 2023, students do not need authorization/testing to return to school. However we strongly encourage everyone to follow CDC guidance for isolation and masking following exposure or symptoms.

Possible symptoms include:

  • Fever or 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
  • Diarrhea

Positive Cases

(Through June 30, 2023) Students and staff with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis are required to isolate for five days, and can return on Day 6 if symptoms have improved. After testing positive, students and staff must mask while in school buildings on days 6-10. Students who are unable or unwilling to mask and who are symptom-free must follow the CDC’s test-based strategy, which includes two negative tests taken after 5 days of isolation. Students should not return to school if they are still experiencing symptoms, even if 5 days have passed. Report positive results here.

Close Contacts

Per the latest guidance from the CDC and VDH, students and staff who have had a direct exposure to an individual testing positive for COVID-19 are exempt from quarantine, regardless of vaccination status, provided they remain symptom-free and do not test positive for COVID-19. Close contacts who develop symptoms must get a PCR test and isolate until they know the result of the test.

  • Masks for close contacts: The CDC recommends that individuals with a known or suspected exposure to COVID-19 wear a well-fitting mask or respirator around others for 10 days from their last exposure, regardless of vaccination status or history of prior infection.
    • APS is no longer contact tracing, unless an ongoing in-school outbreak is identified. As a result, close contacts will predominately be self-reported. APS encourages, but does not require, the use of masks among close contacts for 10 days following exposure, in accordance with CDC and VDH recommendations and Virginia state law. Families should consider their risk factors and encourage students to mask accordingly.
  • APS school clinics will provide free home test kits upon request to encourage close contacts to follow CDC guidance for testing following exposure.

Vaccination

Stay informed and up to date! : COVID-19 vaccination remains the best protection against severe illness. Receiving a booster shot when eligible increases an individual’s protection, and students aged 5 and older are now eligible for a booster. APS encourages everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated and boosted.

  • Students under age 5 are now eligible to receive a primary vaccine series
  • Students ages 5 and up are eligible to receive a booster

Find out more about staying up to date with COVID vaccines

Find out where to get vaccinated

Additional Layered Prevention Strategies

APS continues to use additional layered prevention strategies that were in place over the 2021-2022 school year, to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission and contribute to a safe and healthy environment for all staff and students.

  • Community Notifications & APS COVID-19 Dashboard: APS continues to maintain a public dashboard where families and community members may view the number of positive cases reported to the district over time. We are working to continuously improve this dashboard so that families can stay informed about cases reported in their student’s school and take precautions accordingly.
    Beginning this school year, schools will no longer send a School Talk community notification for every positive case reported to the school.  Given the availability of the public dashboard, this decision aims to reduce administrative burden while still balancing safety and transparency. However, community notification will still be sent via School Talk in the event that Arlington County Public Health declares a school-based outbreak.
  • Precautions for Meal Times
    • Schools will continue to provide outdoor lunch as an option to the extent the weather and staffing allows.
    • The most recent CDC guidance has de-emphasized physical distancing; however, when masking is not possible, schools will work to ensure students returning after testing positive for COVID maintain a minimum of 3-foot distancing distance during mealtime.
  • Improved Ventilation – APS has invested in upgrades to HVAC systems, filters, and other ventilation equipment which are still in use and are effective in maintaining healthy environments. Over 2,000 Certified Air Clean Devices were installed in 2021 and remain in use. As of March 2021, 100% of APS instructional classrooms meet the recommended 4-6 air changes per hour.  APS Facilities has conducted a check of all the filters that were put in place last year and continues to follow the ventilation guidelines we have in place, including:
    • Targeting 4-6 ACH (air changes per hour) for classroom spaces
    • Continuing operations of CACDs (Certified Air Cleaning Devices) in classroom spaces
    • Maximizing outside air ventilation to the greatest extent possible
    • Operating ventilation systems pre and post occupancy for 2 hours
    • Allowing windows to be open when outside conditions allow
    • Increasing air filtration to the highest level possible (MERV-13)
  • School Buses: Consistent with last year, bus windows will remain open at least halfway to increase circulation during transportation to and from school.
  • Visitors – Visitors to APS should not enter school buildings if they are showing signs of illness or symptoms of COVID-19.  Signage will remain posted at schools to remind the community of basic COVID protocols. Any visitor who meets the CDC requirements for isolation (I.e. a positive test result, pending test results, or COVID-like symptoms), should not attend events or activities on APS grounds. Visitors will be offered masks in the front office and will be asked to verify that they have not tested positive for COVID in the past five days as they sign in.
  • At-home instruction: All APS students who must isolate due to a positive COVID test or COVID-like symptoms will receive asynchronous instructional materials to make up for missed instructional time.

Information for students at high risk for COVID-19

Accommodations

If a student has an existing healthcare, IEP, or 504 Plan, and would like to request an accommodation because of high-risk COVID complications based on a medical diagnosis, their parent or guardian should request to meet with the school’s IEP or 504 team.

Families requesting an accommodation because of high-risk COVID complications will be required to provide the IEP or 504 team with authorization/consent to contact the medical professional making the accommodation recommendation.