On March 2, Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District Superintendent Peter Smith sent the following letter via SchoolMessenger to J-D families. A similar letter was sent to staff.
Dear J-D families,
As you are aware, New York state’s universal face mask mandate for schools was lifted as of today, March 2, 2022. This means that the majority of Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District students, staff and school visitors are no longer required to wear a mask in our school buildings or school buses. We recognize that some students and their families may be more comfortable wearing masks indoors, and anyone within our facilities has that option. In fact, I noticed a number of students and staff wearing masks today.
As you also know, health and safety guidance from the state and local health departments related to COVID-19 continues to evolve. While the latest state guidance issued last night removes the mask requirement, the following health and safety protocols remain in place:
- Regardless of vaccination status, if a student tests positive for COVID-19 they must isolate for a full five days. Students may return to school after day five if they are asymptomatic or if symptoms are resolving. For days 6-10 following a positive test, students are required to wear a mask in school, including on the school bus.
- If a student has been exposed to COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status it is highly recommended they wear a mask for a full 10 days following that exposure.
- State and local health officials continue to recommend testing for COVID-19 following a possible exposure. COVID-19 tests are available at school to anyone who wants one. If you need a test, please contact the main office of your student’s school.
- Anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home from school, regardless of vaccination status or recent infection, until tested and/or isolate for five days. If your student has symptoms and you aren’t sure what to do, or if you need a COVID-19 test kit, contact the main office of your student’s school.
As always, we remain committed to keeping our students in school while providing a safe learning environment for all. We will continue to follow a tiered mitigation strategy to prevent the spread of illness in our schools and on our buses. This includes providing free at-home COVID-19 testing kits to our families and staff, improved ventilation, and hand sanitizer located throughout our facilities.
We will continue to share weekly on our website positive COVID-19 cases that are reported to us, as well as reporting those cases daily to the state. Our schools will also continue to conduct weekly COVID-19 surveillance testing. If you are interested in having your student participate, enrollment information is available on the J-D website.
We remain in close contact with state and local health officials and are committed to providing staff and families with clear, updated information on the latest health and safety guidance. If there is additional guidance that further changes how we operate, we will notify you via SchoolMessenger and by sharing information on our website.
Thank you for your continued partnership as we work to keep our students and staff healthy, and our students in school. If you have any questions or concerns about these latest changes, please do not hesitate to contact me or your student’s building principal.
Sincerely,
Peter Smith
Superintendent