September 25, 2020
Dear Parents and Guardians:
The health and safety of our students and staff remain our top priority as we return to school this year. As we outlined in our Reopening Plan, and in order to keep everyone safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19, we are required to follow the strict guidelines and policies set forth by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the New York State Department of Health (DOH), and the New York State Department of Education (NYSED).
This includes daily attestations, screening and isolation of any student or staff member who develops any symptom of COVID-19 (as defined by the CDC) while at school. Therefore, if a student develops ONE OR MORE symptoms of COVID-19, the student will be isolated, and a parent/guardian called for immediate pickup.
Many illnesses and conditions can present with any of these symptoms. Since school nurses are not diagnosticians, ANY symptom must be evaluated by a doctor and the “Return to School” DOH Protocol must be completed before returning to school.
The current “Return to School” protocol from the DOH requires one of the following before a student may return to school after being sent home with one or more COVID-19 symptoms:
- documentation from a health care provider following evaluation stating the student may return to school, OR
- a negative COVID-19 diagnostic test result, OR
- a 10-day quarantine;
If the student is diagnosed with COVID-19 by a health care provider, they may return after the local DOH releases them from isolation/quarantine.
Any documentation indicating your child may return to school must be provided to the school nurse. If you need to submit documentation outside of school hours, please email a clear copy to ReturnToSchool@troycsd.org and we will make sure your nurse receives it.
Please contact your school nurse with any concerns or questions. We appreciate your diligence in following these new guidelines. We know these guidelines can be burdensome, and we all are trying to get used to a new way of doing things. We can, and will, get through this by working together.
Sincerely,
John Carmello
Superintendent of Schools
NYSDOH COVID-19 In-Person Decision Making Flowcharts for Student Attendance
Can My Child Go To School Today?
My Child Has COVID-19 Symptoms – When Can They Go Back to School?
