Messages from the Superintendent

All Staff and Students are encouraged to:

  • Vaccinate

    • Vaccinate for COVID-19 and the yearly flu vaccine.  Children, teens, and adults may get a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines, including a flu vaccine, at the same time, during the same visit.

  • School Attendance

    • Staff and students with mild respiratory symptoms (infrequent cough, congestion, runny nose, sore throat without fever may attend school if there are no known COVID cases in their household.  Daily COVID-19 testing and masking until symptoms are resolved is encouraged.

    • Stay home if you are ill with fever (100°F)/chills, constant cough, fatigue, body aches, vomiting or diarrhea.  Contact your provider, test for COVID-19.   You may return to school if the test is negative and symptoms have resolved for 24 hours without the use of medication.  Masking until symptoms are resolved is highly encouraged.

  • Masking

    • CDC’s recommendation: if you were exposed to COVID-19 and have no  symptoms, you wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested on day 5, sooner if you have symptoms.  Quarantining is no longer recommended.

    • Masking is recommended until respiratory symptoms have resolved.

  • Testing

    • Self-test home kits are available by contacting your school nurse.

    • All positive cases should be reported to the school nurse

  • Isolation

    • Isolate from others when you have COVID-19, if you are sick and suspect that you have COVID-19 but do not yet have test results.

    • If you test positive for COVID-19, you should isolate at home for at least 5 days.   Continue to wear a high-quality mask when you must be around others day 6-10.

    • Isolate from others when you have COVID-19, if you are sick and suspect that you have COVID-19 but do not yet have test results.

    • If after 5 days you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication, and your symptoms are improving, or you never had symptoms, you may end isolation after day 5.  You should wear a high-quality mask through day 10.

    • Day 0 is the day symptoms began or the day of a positive test.

     

  • Schools & Facilities

    • Hand Sanitizers in all classrooms & hallways for student/staff use

    • Air filter replacements & enhanced ventilation maintenance

    • DPH/CDC Routine Cleaning for all Schools

    • Retrofit Water Fountains – No mouth use to avoid germs

    • Regular hand-washing for students/staff in bathrooms

  • In addition to the above Mitigation Strategies, the Vernon Public Schools will continue

    • to report out the COVID-19 Cases by school for each workday,

    • to follow DPH Guidelines on isolation and quarantining; and

    • to consult with North Central CT Health Districts on protocols