Glastonbury Public Schools

COVID-19 School Operations

2022–2023




Introduction

The Glastonbury Public Schools health and safety practices are developed and informed by state guidance.  Our goal is to keep  our students healthy and learning in-person as much as possible throughout the school year. 

 We will use a layered approach to health and safety practices to help protect our students and staff. This includes vaccination, optional mask wearing, testing, and isolation of those who test positive. As always, we will adjust our practices if the level of community transmission requires a different approach.

COVID-19 Resources and Dashboard

Vaccinations

We encourage all students and staff to be up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters prior to the start of school. According to recent state guidance: "Vaccinations are the first and most important line of defense in preventing respiratory diseases like COVID-19 and influenza from disrupting the continuous operation of schools...Everyone 6 months of age or older can receive both COVID-19 vaccine and a seasonal vaccine for influenza."  

Masks

Masks are available for students or staff. Mask wearing is optional in our buildings unless you are returning after 5 days of COVID-19 isolation. In addition:

Tests

Many illnesses have symptoms similar to COVID-19. Students and staff should test if they have any such symptoms. COVID-19 testing kits are available free of charge for students and staff and their families. When the school year begins, families may call the school health office to request kits. 

Isolation 

Please call the school to notify them of positive COVID tests. Isolate those who test positive to help control the spread of this virus. All people with COVID-19 should undergo isolation for at least 5 full days. Day 0 is the day symptoms began or the day of the positive test. After 5-days of isolation, students and staff may return if they are fever-free for at least 24 hours and other symptoms are significantly improved. Returning students and staff will be required to wear masks for the next 5 days. 

Track and Inform

We will continue to track staff and student cases. We will report cases to the CT Department of Public Health. We will inform parents of elementary children if there is a positive case in their class. The COVID-19 dashboard will be updated once daily, Monday through Friday.

Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Ventilation

Cleaning and Sanitizing. We regularly clean and sanitize/disinfect common high-touch surfaces throughout schools such as classrooms, bathrooms, etc. All products used for cleaning and sanitizing/disinfecting are safer for students and staff and have been approved by our Director of Environmental Health and Safety. 

Ventilation. We will maximize the circulation of fresh, outside air and air filtration as appropriate for each type/size of school space. We use the highest filtration levels allowable within our air handlers. This includes the use of increased outside air and filtration for air conditioning in the fall and heating when the weather turns colder.

Signs of COVID-19 Illness include:

Flu Vaccine

The CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older (with very few medical exceptions) get the annual flu vaccine by the end of October. Flu vaccines do not prevent COVID-19, but they will reduce the burden of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths on the health care system and conserve scarce medical resources for the care of people with COVID-19.

Flu vaccines and COVID-19 vaccines can be given at the same time. More information is available on the CDC Influenza (Flu) Website.