MCPS Community Message: New Community Engagement Officer Plan Coming Soon, Spring Break Notes, and More

Montgomery County Public Schools released the following community message on Thursday, April 7:

Here are the key things to know for Thursday, April 7. They include important COVID-19 reminders about spring break, upcoming community engagement events and more.

1. Spring Break is Next Week!
   Enjoy Your Time Off but Remain Vigilant
   Although the positive COVID-19 case rate is low in Montgomery County, to maintain this and return to school on April 19 free from the effects of COVID-19, we must remain vigilant. Remember your COVID-19 Spring Break Safety Checklist? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a list of easy things you can choose to do during spring break to avoid COVID-19. It’s up to all of us to keep our community healthy.

   REMINDER for Students and Staff: Take Your MCPS-Provided COVID-19 Take-Home Test on Monday, April 18
   

   • On Monday, April 18, prior to the first day of school following spring break, families are asked to test all MCPS students using MCPS-provided rapid take-home test kits and report positive cases via our online form. If the test is positive, stay home and follow quarantine and isolation guidelines. If your child has COVID-19 symptoms or is sick, stay home. The same guidance is for all staff who have received the take-home tests too. Test on April 18, the day before we return to school, and report any positive cases.
     Reminder: COVID-19 symptoms are cough, sore throat, fever with a temperature of 100.4 or higher, diarrhea, vomiting, loss of taste or smell and difficulty breathing. Use this helpful student health checklist.

     Distribution:
     MCPS has distributed COVID-19 rapid take-home test kits through April 6. Check your child’s backpack.

     Directions for Use of COVID-19 Test Kits:
     VIDEO: Directions for use of COVID-19 rapid test kit
     Learn more at this website and review the flyers:
     English /  español  /  中文  /  français /  Português /  한국어 /  tiếng Việt /  አማርኛ
     (Reminder: these are nasal (nose) rapid test kits; please follow the directions included in the kits.)

2. Get the Shot: Vaccination Is Essential to Managing COVID-19 Spread in our Community
   Individuals 5 and older are eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccination. They are free, safe and readily available. MCPS is hosting vaccine clinics on Saturday, April 9 and the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services will have vaccine opportunities throughout spring break. Learn more on the MCPS website and the DHHS website.
3. Bring Your MCPS Provided Computer Home for Spring Break
   As a matter of practice, prior to any break, schools will be reminding students and staff to take home their devices before school is out Friday. Remind your child to bring theirs home, including the charging cord.
4. New Community Engagement Officer Plan Coming Soon
   The new Community Engagement Officer (CEO) Program agreement is expected to be signed soon. When it is ready, after spring break, we will send a community message and hold a press briefing. This new agreement will represent an innovative approach to ensuring a safe, inclusive and positive learning environment that will benefit all students and staff.
5. Putting Our Students First: Community Conversations Set for April, May
   Join Interim Superintendent Dr. Monifa B. McKnight for three community conversations, All Together Now: Putting Our Students First, set for April and May. These events will bring together families, students, staff and the community to discuss the district’s strengths, priorities and opportunities for how MCPS can better serve its students.

   The events will be held:

   • Wednesday, April 20, 7 p.m., Gaithersburg High School cafeteria, 101 Education Boulevard, Gaithersburg
   • Wednesday, April 27, 7:30 p.m., Walter Johnson High School cafeteria, 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda
   • Saturday, May 7, 11 a.m., Paint Branch High School cafeteria, 14121 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville

   These events are only the beginning of what will be a series of engagement events and there will be opportunities to participate virtually in the future.

   RSVP to attend is encouraged. Limited MCPS bus transportation will be provided. For the first event at Gaithersburg High School, an MCPS bus will travel a circuit between Gaithersburg High stopping at Montgomery Village Middle, Roberto Clemente Middle and Clarksburg High School then back before and after the scheduled event.