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COVID-19 Information Updates

Covid Update - August 2022


Dear RSD Community,


I would like to start by thanking everyone for their patience and cooperation during the last two and a half years as we dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic.  There were some trying times, but we made it through, in larger measure thanks to the creativity and dedication of faculty and staff.


NYS and the CDC have released updated information regarding how schools and the community should handle Covid-19 exposures and positive cases, and I would like to update you all on how that will impact things are RSD.


Going forward, social distancing is no longer required and mask-wearing is optional and a personal decision.  Masks are only required if a staff member or a student is exposed to a positive case of Covid or if they are returning to work/school after a 5-day isolation.  


Lunch will return to being served and eaten in the Forrester dining room.  Visitors will be welcomed onto campus and into classrooms with the appropriate notice and approval.


I also want to clarify how the isolation time frame is calculated.  Day 0 is the day a person starts experiencing covid-like symptoms.  For example, let’s say a person starts to feel sick on a Wednesday, takes a Covid test on a Thursday, and receives a positive result on Saturday.  This means that their Day 0 is Wednesday and so their 5-day isolation ends on Tuesday and they should return to work/school on Wednesday while wearing a well-fitting mask through Sunday.  The isolation period may be extended to as many as 10 days if the person who tests positive is still experiencing a fever without the use of medication and is not experiencing lessening symptoms.  A person also does not need to test negative before returning to school/work.


If an exposure happens on campus, staff and parents will be notified, and the CDC recommendations will be followed, which include mask-wearing for 10 days and having a Covid test after five days.  As long as supplies last, RSD will either provide the test here on campus if consent is given or at-home test kits.


Many thanks again for your cooperation and support.


Antony A.L. McLetchie, Superintendent/CEO

January 10, 2022 Update
 

Dear RSD Families,

 

Thank you for your continued support as we returned from Winter Recess on Monday! While some may look to a new year for renewal and possibility, RSD’s staff has been working hard to stay the course and keep our school open. Here are a few updates:

 

Emergency Closure Plans

As we do every winter, the RSD has emergency closure plans in place for inclement weather or other emergency situations. We are committed to doing everything we can to stay open. Staffing shortages are occurring around our community, not just in schools. We are using all available personnel to keep our schools open. If we do need to use emergency closure days, often called snow days, we will. 

 

In an emergency situation, we will communicate with families as soon as possible as we are aware of the impact this would have on our entire school community.  Announcements such as these will be made through a variety of outlets including direct communication, social media, news media, and our website.

 

Updated COVID-19 Protocol Information (As of 1/6/22)

As a reminder, the following are current New York State Department of Health protocols:

  1. If your child tests positive for COVID-19, they may not attend school until the 5-day isolation is complete. Isolation is calculated by adding 5 days to the date of symptom onset (or positive test date, if they had no symptoms). 
  2. If your child is fully vaccinated and has been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, NO quarantine is required. Individuals should wear a well-fitting mask when around others for 10 days after their exposure.
    1. If your child develops symptoms during this 10 day period, your child needs to isolate at home and seek a medical evaluation and PCR testing.
  3. If your child is NOT fully vaccinated and has been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, a 5-day quarantine is required as well as wearing a well-fitting mask for the next 5 days. Day one of quarantine is the first day after the last day of unmasked exposure to the positive individual.
    1. Students may not test out of quarantine. 
    2. If your child develops symptoms during this 5-day quarantine, your child needs to isolate at home and seek a medical evaluation and PCR testing.
  4. Negative home test results are not permissible for return to school after illness. In order to return to school, a negative test must be performed by a healthcare provider’s office or a laboratory.  Monroe County is offering daily rapid tests.
  5. Students who develop new, unusual, or worsening symptoms associated with COVID-19, who have no known exposure to COVID-19, should stay home from school and seek a medical evaluation and/or COVID-19 testing. Rapid antigen or PCR testing is acceptable in the absence of any known exposure.

 

Please be sure to notify the Student Health Center as soon as possible if your child has tested positive for, or has been exposed to an individual with, COVID-19. The school nurse can help you navigate the process since the Monroe County Department of Public Health is taking several days to trace positive cases. COVID-19 school information can be found HERE.

 

We want to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude for our students, our staff, and all of you as we continue this journey together.

 

Sincerely,

 

Antony A.L. McLetchie

Superintendent/CEO