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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.
- Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 will still be expected to isolate at minimum until day 6 and mask until day 10.
- Students and staff are no longer required to report cases of COVID-19 to APS through Qualtrics.
- The APS COVID Dashboard is no longer being updated and is archived as of June 2023.
- Anyone experiencing COVID-like illness are strongly recommended to test for COVID-19 before returning to school, but are no longer required to submit documentation of a negative test result for clearance.
- The weekly in-school testing program ended June 9. School clinics will continue to supply free Rapid Antigen COVID-19 tests.
COVID-19 Protocols for School Year 2023-24
Masking
Masks remain optional. The CDC provides information about the types of masks and their benefits in the prevention of spreading so that staff and families can make the best decisions for themselves.
COVID-like Symptoms
Students and staff experiencing COVID-like illness should be tested for COVID-19 before returning to school. Anyone who has had a fever in the past 24 hours should stay home regardless of their test result. There is no requirement to submit documentation of this negative test result.
- COVID-like 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
- Staff and students who test positive should isolate for 5 days from the date of testing positive or the day symptoms began, whichever is first. The test date or symptoms onset date is Day 0. Staff and students may return on Day 6 if symptoms have resolved. Staff and students should remain home if symptoms have not resolved or if they have had a fever in the past 24 hours.
- Staff will be required to take leave for the days that they are out for COVID isolation.
- When returning to school, staff and students should wear a mask on Days 6 – 10. A negative test is not required to return.
Vaccination
All APS staff and students are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including boosters. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is not required. Arlington County continues to provide information about vaccine access for those who are interested.
Information for those at high risk for COVID-19
- If a staff member would like to request an accommodation because of high-risk COVID complications based on a medical diagnosis, they should contact Employee Relations to discuss the process to apply for ADA accommodation.
- Learn more about COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised.
Additional Layered Prevention Strategies
- APS has established practices in place for responding to outbreaks that will be used for COVID moving forward. 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:
- Providing free rapid antigen COVID-19 test kits in school health clinics.
- Encouraging staff and students to stay up-to-date on vaccines and boosters.
- Sending parent notification emails from the School Health Bureau if there is an outbreak of COVID-19 in the school.
- Continue to consider accommodations for staff who may have compromised immune systems.
- Continuing current procedures for cleaning and disinfecting, and increased ventilation in schools, offices and classrooms.
- Operating portable Certified Air Cleaning Devices (CACDs) including filter changes, as well as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment with MERV-13 filtration.
- Maximizing outside air ventilation for HVAC equipment to the extent possible.
