August 31, 2022
Dear Chenango Valley Community,
We are excited to welcome our Warriors back to school next week! I wanted to share some recent COVID-19 recommendations we have received from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and New York State Education Department (NYSED). While overall the current recommendations do not greatly differ from the procedures our schools were following at the end of last school year, we feel it is important to keep our families informed. We have provided some highlights below. To read the full NYSDOH/NYSED documents, please visit our COVID-19 informational webpage:
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- Per health department guidance - Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 should isolate at home for at least five days.
- Day 1 would be considered the first full day after symptom onset (if symptomatic) or the first full day after the positive COVID test was taken (if a person has no symptoms).
- Students and staff who had symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19 may return to attending school in person on day 6 if they are fever-free without fever-reducing medication for 24 hours and their symptoms are improving.
- Upon returning to school, students and staff who tested positive should continue to wear a well-fitting mask or respirator around others through day 10.
- Students and staff exposed to COVID-19 will not need to quarantine. People who were exposed to COVID-19 are recommended to wear a well-fitting mask for ten days after the exposure, and get tested at least five days after close contact (or sooner if symptoms develop).
- Schools are no longer required to conduct routine contact tracing.
- Universal mask wearing is not currently required in schools.
- Students and staff who choose to wear a mask are encouraged to do so.
- The Chenango Valley Central School District will continue to make building cleanliness a priority. Hand sanitizer will be readily available, and we encourage everyone to continue practicing proper handwashing techniques as well as other personal hygiene habits to prevent the spread of illnesses.
- To help prevent the spread of illness and to promote a safe and healthy learning environment, students and staff are encouraged to stay home when they have symptoms of an illness.
- Testing for COVID-19 when and if symptoms exist remains a critical strategy that can limit the number of exposures in schools. The district will continue to provide and offer free at-home testing kits for students, faculty, and staff as requested. These will be available at our school building security vestibules while supplies last.
Thank you for your continued partnership with the Chenango Valley Central School District. These recommendations are meant to help protect the health and safety of our school community. We will continue to work closely with our local health department, and will share any further updates as needed. Please reach out to Assistant Superintendent/COVID-19 Resource Officer Michelle Feyerabend at (607) 762-6811 if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Dr. David P. Gill
Superintendent of Schools