COVID remains a prevalent illness and it is important that we all continue to do our part to help our students and staff remain healthy and safe this school year.

To continue to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools, the Washington State Department of Health has released updated COVID-19 requirements for K-12 schools. These updated COVID-19 requirements include:

• Students and staff who show symptoms of COVID-19 are required to stay home, and should get tested for COVID-19.
• Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 are required to isolate at home for 5 days and should notify the school. If symptoms improve and they have had no fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, students and staff can come back to school and are encouraged to test before returning.
• It is recommended, but not required, that students and staff returning to school after their 5 days of isolation:
  • wear a well-fitted mask from days 6 to 10, and
  • remain masked for sports and other extracurricular activities on days 6 to 10.
• Students and staff who test positive after 5 days of isolation must stay at home for the full 10-day isolation period.
• Physical distancing is no longer required.

• Schools are no longer required to directly notify high-risk students or staff of COVID cases in schools. We will, however, continue to update the COVID-19 Activity Tracker on our website by end of the day on Friday each week.
• All employees, volunteers, and indoor contractors in educational settings are required to be fully vaccinated OR have a medical or religious exemption per Governor's proclamation 21-14.3. See Vaccine Mandate Frequently Asked Questions. In addition to submitting an annual volunteer application, volunteers must submit a Vaccination Status Form to each school in which they wish to volunteer.

These requirements are in place for all public and private K-12 schools and child care facilities in Washington state. Schools and child care facilities are required by state law to follow these guidelines.

Households are encouraged to test as needed at home. In Washington state, you can receive free self-tests from the Say Yes! COVID Test program. In addition, most insurance companies cover the cost of up to 8 self-tests per individual, per month.

COVID-19 vaccinations remain the best protection for everyone against hospitalization and severe disease from COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccine is now available for children 6 months and older. Booster doses are also available for children 5 years and older.

All updated COVID-19 information can be found on our website at: www.monroe.wednet.edu/departments/health-services/covid-19

Please reach out to me directly if you have questions about any of the updated requirements.

Sincerely,

David Paratore
Chief Student Services Officer