December 10, 2021
Dear Springfield Public Schools Community:
As you may be aware, New Jersey is reporting significant increases in the number of COVID cases throughout the state. In the activity report shared on Thursday, December 9th, the New Jersey Department of Health reported high levels of COVID-19 cases in all of the regions.
We have seen this occurring in our schools as well, and over the last two weeks have seen a significant increase in the number of positive cases reported. While we are grateful that we have not yet had to close any classrooms or schools, we recognize that we must continue to follow the guidance developed by the state in order to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our faculty and staff.
In consideration of New Jersey Department of Health guidance related to the significant increase in COVID-19 cases across the state, and in consultation with our local health official, we are returning to the 14-day quarantine period until further notice. Please note, the following:
-
Unvaccinated individuals who are identified as a close contact will be required to follow the 14-day quarantine period.
-
Individuals who receive a positive test result will be required to quarantine for 10 days from the date of the positive test or 10 days from the onset of physical symptoms, based on a consultation with the health department. This time period is not impacted by vaccination status.
-
Fully vaccinated individuals will not be required to quarantine as long as they remain asymptomatic.
-
Our travel guidance remains the same as shared throughout the year:
-
If your family is traveling out of the country, an unvaccinated student(s) will not be able to return to school until they have the appropriate negative COVID-19 tests in the timeframe set by the CDC. Information regarding this process was shared in a prior communication from Mrs. Tiffany Boehm. If your child has to remain quarantined upon return, please reach out to your school principal, nurse, and/or teacher(s) so that they can share the appropriate resources.
-
In addition, we are continuing to ask families to share their child’s vaccination status, as it will help us to follow up on our contacting tracing. Yesterday, families that previously indicated their child had not been vaccinated, or was ineligible to receive the vaccine received an email communication to update their child’s vaccination status. Almost 600 families have updated their status, and we are so grateful for your prompt responses.
Finally, we ask our community to continue to follow the recommendations of the CDC: please wear your masks, practice social distancing, wash your hands, monitor for symptoms, and get tested if you are symptomatic or identified as a close contact.
Thank you for your continued support as we work together to stay healthy!
Sincerely,
Rachel Goldberg