Welcome back to to a new school year!
CURRENT COVID-19 INFORMATION FOR STAFF AND STUDENTS
Please read through the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) attendance and exclusion guidelines for students that the district must follow. Please understand these guidelines, including length of quarantine, are subject to change at any time upon recommendation from our local health department.
Students with Covid-19 Compatible Symptoms (at least two of the following symptoms: fever, chills, shivers, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, congestion or runny nose; OR at least one of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, new loss of sense of smell, or new taste disorder) must not come to school until they receive a negative Covid-19 test, have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, and other symptoms have improved, regardless of the student’s vaccination status. If the student is not tested for Covid-19, they must remain home for ten days from the date of symptom onset.
Any other unvaccinated children in the household who attend district schools must also remain at home until the ill child tests negative for Covid-19.
If an unvaccinated student is a household member of someone who is ill with Covid-19 Compatible Symptoms*, the student must remain at home until the ill individual tests negative for Covid-19. If the ill individual is not tested, the unvaccinated student must remain home for 10 days from the date of their last exposure to the ill person. Vaccinated students do not need to remain home if they are not having any symptoms.
If an unvaccinated student has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19, the student must remain at home for the recommended period of quarantine, (10 days from the last date of contact with the positive individual, or 7 days with a negative test collected at 5-7 days following exposure-contact your school nurse for further information). Vaccinated students do not need to quarantine if they are not having any symptoms.
If someone in the student’s household is being tested for Covid-19 due to illness, unvaccinated students should stay home until the test result is received. Vaccinated students may attend school.
The NJDOH continues to prohibit schools from accepting healthcare providers' notes stating an alternate diagnosis in the absence of a negative Covid-19 test. Per the NJDOH: " An alternate diagnosis (including a positive strep test or influenza swab) without a negative COVID-19 test is not acceptable for individuals who meet COVID-19 exclusion criteria to return to school".
The NJDOH is permitting pre-existing conditions to be taken into consideration when determining if symptoms warrant Covid-19 exclusion criteria. Per the NJDOH: "For students with chronic illness, only new symptoms or symptoms worse than baseline should be used to fulfill symptom-based exclusion criteria". Documentation of pre-existing conditions/chronic illness must already be on file with the school nurses.
If a student, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, becomes ill during the school day, the ill student will be sent home and must remain at home until they test negative for Covid-19, (or for ten days from the onset of symptoms if they are not tested for Covid-19). Any unvaccinated siblings or household members of the ill student who attend district schools will also be sent home at that time and must remain home until the ill individual tests negative for Covid-19, (or for 10 days if the ill individual is not tested).
Schools are required to exclude any unvaccinated “in-school” close contacts of anyone who tests positive for Covid-19. Unvaccinated students and staff members determined to be close contacts of anyone in school who tests positive for Covid-19 will need to quarantine for 10 days from the last date of contact with the positive individual, or 7 days with a negative test collected at 5-7 days following exposure-contact your school nurse for further information). Vaccinated close contacts do not need to quarantine if they are not having any symptoms.
*Covid-19 Compatible Symptoms: At least two of the following symptoms: fever, chills, shivers, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, congestion or runny nose; OR at least one of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, new loss of sense of smell, or new taste disorder.
Parents/Guardians: Please review this form daily before sending your child to school and report your child’s information to your child’s school nurse, (Mrs. Denise Jacobus, RN, at djacobus@rockboro.org or 973-625-8602 for Lincoln School, or Mrs. Linda Savercool RN at lsavercool@rockboro.org or 973-625-8603 for Thomas Jefferson School), if any of the symptoms or close contact/exposure fields are checked off.
Section 1: Symptoms
Any of the symptoms below could indicate a COVID-19 infection in children and may put your child at risk for spreading illness to others. Please note that this list does not include all possible symptoms and children with COVID-19 may experience any, all, or none of these symptoms. Please check your child daily for these symptoms:
Column A (Two or more symptoms) Column B (One symptom)
___ Fever (100.0F or higher) ___Cough
___ Chills ___ Shortness of breath
___ Rigors (shivers) ___ Difficulty breathing
___ Myalgia (muscle aches) ___ New loss of smell
___ Headache ___New loss of taste
___ Sore throat
___ Nausea or Vomiting
___ Diarrhea
___ Fatigue (feeling tired)
___ Congestion or runny nose
Students who are sick (e.g. fever, vomiting, diarrhea) should not attend school in-person, regardless of vaccination status. If TWO OR MORE of the fields in Column A are checked off, or AT LEAST ONE field in Column B is checked off, please keep your ill child and any unvaccinated siblings or household members attending district schools at home and notify the school for further instructions.
Section 2: Close Contact/Potential Exposure
Please verify if in the last 14 days:
_____Your child had close contact (within 6 feet of an infected person for 15 or more minutes during a 24-hour period) with a person with COVID-19. Unvaccinated students will need to remain at home, contact your school nurse for recommended length of quarantine.
_____ Someone in your household is diagnosed with or is being tested for COVID-19, or someone in your household has any of the COVID-19 symptoms listed above in Section 1.
If any of the fields in section 2 are checked off, contact your child’s school nurse for the most current exclusion recommendations before sending your child to school. Contact your child’s healthcare provider or your local health department (973-537-7118) for further guidance.
Please contact your child’s school nurse if you are planning to travel internationally for the latest CDC travel guidelines.
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**Please Be Aware**
No Vented Masks OR Neck Gaitors Allowed UNLESS a Surgical Mask is on Underneath It
