DSST: Aurora Science & Tech Middle School

Updated DSST COVID-19 guidance

01/05/22, 4:28 PM

Dear DSST families,

Happy New Year! It has been energizing to have students back in our schools this week. I spoke to one teacher at our Montview campus yesterday who mentioned that he has never seen high school students more ready to be back at school after break. I was also encouraged to see students following masking and distancing guidance and the commitment of our entire community to keep each other safe and healthy. I am proud of the work we are doing to keep our schools safe and joyful places to learn.

While I know this has been a challenging couple of weeks, DSST remains committed to continuing in-person learning as long as it is safe to do so. Our students learn better in person - we see that in national research and in our own student learning data and wellness surveys from this fall. I am hopeful that with the health and safety precautions we have in place and with the cooperation of our entire community, we will be able to safely continue in-person learning. DSST has not had one operational closure to date this school year - speaking to the strong school leadership and dedicated staff we have in our schools. 

While all families need to take all precautions if your child is feeling sick or might have been exposed to COVID, I encourage you to send your children back to school if they are healthy. 

As you may have heard, the CDC recently announced new guidance for how long to isolate or quarantine after testing positive or being exposed to COVID-19. Our families in DPS likely received an email from Superintendent Marrero yesterday afternoon. DSST will be following the same guidelines as DPS, with the addition of strongly recommending a COVID-19 test before students return from quarantine after an exposure. The updated guidance is outlined below and in our Quarantine and Isolation Guidance Chart:

• Isolation: Any student, staff member, or volunteer in a school who tests positive for COVID-19 must isolate at home for at least 5 days. If at that point, symptoms are greatly improving and there is no fever (without the use of fever-reducing medication), they may return to school or work with a well-fitting mask on at all times when around others. 

• Quarantine: Students, staff members, or volunteers in a school who are exposed to someone with COVID-19 should do the following, based on their vaccination status:

• • • Unvaccinated OR have not yet received a booster: Quarantine for 5 days followed by strict mask use for an additional 5 days.

    • Quarantine is not required for students, staff, or volunteers who are not experiencing symptoms, AND: 

• • • Are vaccinated and have received their booster; OR 

    • Have completed the primary series (first 2 doses) of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine within the last 6 months; OR 

    • Have completed the primary series (first dose) of Johnson & Johnson vaccine within the last 2 months; OR 

    • Both individuals were masked at the time of exposure.

• • Even if a person is not required to quarantine, the individual should wear a mask around others for 10 days after the exposure. 

• • Anyone who has been exposed should be tested 5 days after exposure. If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately get tested and then quarantine until they get test results back. (If the results are positive, they should follow the isolation guidance above). Once their 5-day quarantine has ended, DSST strongly recommends testing for COVID-19 before returning to school. 

We are grateful for your continued partnership in safely providing our students with the best possible educational experience.

Bill Kurtz

DSST CEO