Farrell B. Howell ECE-8 School
COVID Updates // Effective Monday, Feb 28
07/18/22, 4:48 PM
Good Evening Howell Families,
You have received a lot of information from DPS regarding the upcoming changes to the district’s COVID response protocols and we wanted to take an opportunity to summarize the most important items for your family.
Starting Monday, February 28th:
- Masks are no longer required at school for students and staff, but they are still strongly encouraged.
- Wearing well-fitting masks are especially important for those at an increased risk for getting very sick with COVID-19 (such as children with obesity, diabetes, asthma or chronic lung disease, sickle cell disease, or who are immunocompromised.)
- If a student at school becomes sick with COVID-like symptoms, the school nurse or his designee will ask the student to wear a mask until they leave the building.
- Students and staff returning to school after being out ill for the required 5-day isolation period should follow CDC and CDPHE guidelines to properly wear a mask for the 6-10 days after the start of their illness or COVID test.
- In alignment with federal law, masks are still required while aboard public transportation, which includes school buses to and from school, field trips, and other events. Transportation retains a supply of disposable masks so that no student will be turned away.
- Please speak with your student(s) about your expectations when it comes to masking at school. Our faculty and staff at school are unable to continuously monitor or enforce masking of any individual students.
- In alignment with the rest of DPS, Farrell B. Howell will no longer send COVID-19 notification letters to families when there is a COVID-19 case in your child’s classroom or at our school. Also, DPS will no longer contact trace nor quarantine students/staff with school-associated exposures to COVID-19. DPS will continue to follow quarantine guidance for students and staff who experience household exposures.
- Visitors, volunteers, and families are now permitted inside the building by appointment; visitors/families are still not allowed within the building before/after school. See our website for more information.
- All athletic events, student performances, continuations, and other school events can proceed as normal without additional restrictions. More information to come once these events are scheduled.
- All student lunches will now resume taking place inside the cafeteria without any additional restrictions.
- Reporting of COVID-19 is still required for all confirmed positive cases. Please make sure to call the health office at 720-424-2746 to report cases of COVID-19 within your household.
Vaccination is still the most effective way to protect your family from severe illness and we strongly encourage everyone age 5 and older to get the COVID vaccine and the booster (when eligible.) Our next vaccine clinic at school is March 8th. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3BQhvuk
Lastly, should the school experience an outbreak, the public health department may implement strategies such as universal masking indoors, distancing, testing and contact tracing, and quarantine for close contacts. In this instance you would be notified immediately. Please feel free to reach out to the school nurse at 720-424-2746 if you have any questions or concerns about these upcoming changes.
Sincerely,
| Rachel Massey, Cahn Fellow 2019 Principal, Farrell B. Howell |
Richard Ruthersby, BSN, RN, NCSN School Nurse, Farrell B. Howell ECE-8 School |
A Family that Grows Leaders | Una Familia Que Forma Lideres
COVID-19 Resources and Information (Farrell B. Howell ECE-8 School)
COVID-19 Guidance for Parents & Caregivers (DPS)
