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MCPS Health and Safety Protocol

By Patrick Herron

MCPS Health and Safety Protocol

With schools fully reopening next week, read the steps Montgomery County Public Schools are taking to ensure the safety of staff and students.

Information courtesy of
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/reopening2021/

  • Require that face masks be worn in all school buildings, buses and MCPS
  • Require that employees submit proof of vaccination or participate in weekly COVID-19 testing
  • Encourage the use of outdoor spaces for unmasked educational and social experiences for our students
  • Facilitate continuity of educational services for students who are unable to attend in-person instruction due to the need to quarantine
  • Provide opportunities for individuals to engage in preventative measures such as frequent hand-washing and sanitizing
  • Remind students and staff that they must stay home when experiencing any possible symptoms of COVID-19
  • Ensure school facilities will be regularly sanitized, equipped with cleaning supplies, and ventilation and air quality monitored
  • Provide in-school COVID-19 pool testing for random samples of students in prekindergarten through 6th grade, since students younger than 12 are not eligible to receive the vaccine
  • Communicate clearly, concisely, and in a timely manner with families, students and staff as information becomes available
  • Respond to changing conditions so that our students will not experience major disruptions in their education

Per MCPS:

As schools reopen, the safety of students and staff remains the top priority of MCPS. MCPS continues to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics. In accordance with CDC guidance, MCPS will implement a multi-layer health and safety protocol that includes multiple strategies to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 and protect school community members. Strategies include use of masks, enhanced sanitation, improved ventilation, and processes for testing, contact tracing, and quarantine, as necessary. Specific safety practices in schools and offices include: continued..