COVID 19 Update
PCPS February 2022
Important Mitigation Strategies Updates
In order to continue keeping everyone safe, we would like to share a few friendly reminders related to COVID-19 and ask that you please follow the guidance outlined below.
Make sure your child wears an appropriate face covering at the bus stop and on the bus for the entire duration.
Contact the school nurse if your child is showing COVID-19 symptoms and keep them at home. COVID-19 symptoms are:
Fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.
Please continue to report positive cases to your child's school or to Emily Forbes at emily.forbes@poquoson.k12.va.us
Students who test positive for COVID 19 should isolate at home and avoid contact with others.
Conduct daily health screenings with your child each morning before sending them to school, using the RUVNA reporting text message.
Poquoson City Public Schools continues to conduct health mitigation strategies such as, increased cleaning and sanitizing protocols, encouraging frequent handwashing, and frequently wiping down commonly touched surfaces.
Executive Order 2
On January 18, 2022 the Poquoson City School Board voted to align the PCPS COVID-19 mitigation plan with Executive Order Number Two issued by Governor Youngkin on January 15, 2022. Executive Order Two will take effect on January 24, 2022. Details of the order are below:
The State Health Commissioner shall terminate Order of Public Health Emergency Order Ten (2021).
The parents of any child enrolled in an elementary or secondary school or a school-based early childcare and educational program may elect for their children not to be subject to any mask mandate in effect at the child’s school or educational program.
No parent electing that a mask mandate should not apply to his or her child shall be required to provide a reason or make any certification concerning their child’s health or education.
A child whose parent has elected that he or she is not subject to a mask mandate should not be required to wear a mask under any policy implemented by a teacher, school, school district, the Department of Education, or any other state authority.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall rescind the Interim Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in Virginia PreK-12 Schools, issued January 14, 2021, and updated October 14, 2021, and issue new guidance for COVID-19 Prevention consistent with this Order.
School districts should marshal any resources available to improve inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, replacement and upgrades of equipment to improve the indoor air quality in school facilities, including mechanical and non-mechanical heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, filtering, purification, fans, control systems and window and door repair.
Beginning January 24, 2022 PCPS will no longer require that students, staff, and visitors wear masks on school property. However, the federal mask requirement for public transportation is still in place; therefore, anyone riding a school bus will be required to wear a mask when embarking, disembarking, and for the duration of the journey.
Suspension of Contact Tracing
Beginning January 19, 2022, PCPS employees are no longer conducting COVID-19 contact tracing or engaging in the oversight of the quarantine of any individual who is exposed to COVID-19. Contact tracing has been the responsibility of the local health department and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). Due to staff shortages, VDH has struggled to provide timely notification to people identified as close contacts which makes the efforts ineffective. In PCPS, we have found little correlation between quarantine and the number of later identified positive COVID-19 cases.
Please continue to follow CDC guidance regarding quarantine period for close contacts and positive COVID 19 cases. Below there are resources regarding isolation and quarantine practices.
CDC Guidance on Isolation and Quarantine
Free KN95 Masks
Vaccine Approval for 5-11 year olds
If you would like to see more information about the Pfizer vaccine, the recent recommendation or where you and your family can get vaccinated please visit, www.vaccines.gov
RUVNA Screening
Please be reminded that the RUVNA system does not notify the front office staff at your student's school. If the screening prevents your student from going to school, please contact your student's school to excuse the absence.
Information on COVID 19 Vaccinations for Children and Teens
Where Can I get Vaccinated?
- Local Vaccination Clinic: The Hampton Peninsula Community Vaccine Clinic began to offer the COVID vaccine for children 5-11 on Thursday Nov. 4th. Please click on the following link to find more information about the clinic and to make an appointment. https://www.williamsburgva.gov/civicalerts.aspx?AID=335&fbclid=IwAR0DLN4Qewp2lGPBcGH_O7cMNTk-9qPDimBXYQQQS298_YKsZZQ94Be_zUI
- Hospital or Primary Care Provider: Many Virginia hospitals, primary care providers, and pediatrician offices are providing COVID-19 vaccines. You can reach out to your child’s primary care provider to see if they have appointments available.
- Pharmacies: There are over 1,000 pharmacies across the state administering COVID-19 vaccine. Families can search Vaccines.gov by the “Pfizer” filter to identify area pharmacies with available appointments providing vaccines approved for young people.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs): FQHCs are community-based care providers that provide primary care services in underserved areas. You can contact your local FQHC to see if they have available appointments for your child. Services are offered on a sliding payment scale.
- Local Health Department (LHD): Your Local Health Department may host a vaccination event specifically for students and families. Check your Health Department’s website for updates. https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/peninsula/
- Fast, Easy, Free, and Nearby COVID-19 Vaccination: The federal government is providing the vaccine free of charge to all people living in the United States, regardless of their immigration or health insurance status. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/no-cost.htm
PCPS Vaccination Clinic
A digital flyer will be sent out with more information soon.
Where do I get tested?
How to Get a COVID-19 Test
Low or no-cost COVID-19 tests are available to everyone in the U.S., including the uninsured, at health centers and select pharmacies nationwide. Additional testing sites may be available in your area. Contact your health care provider or your state or local public health department for more information.
Health Centers
Health centers are an important component of the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Find a health center near you for available COVID-19 screening and testing. Please call the health center for more information about availability of low or no-cost testing.
Health centers provide COVID-19 testing services to individuals who meet criteria for COVID-19 testing, regardless of their ability to pay. Health centers will determine whether there is available reimbursement, funding, or compensation sources, and any related cost sharing restrictions for COVID-19 testing prior to billing patients. If there are any out-of-pocket costs—for example, in the case of no or only partial coverage by private insurance—health centers will provide sliding fee discounts for eligible patients based on income and family size.
Pharmacies
HHS has partnered with pharmacies and retail companies to accelerate testing for more Americans in communities across the country. These companies are coordinating with state and local governments to:
- Provide Americans with faster, less invasive and more convenient testing
- Protect healthcare personnel by eliminating direct-contact with symptomatic individuals
- Expand testing to communities across the United States, especially those that are under-tested and socially vulnerable
Please visit these companies' websites to learn more about their efforts to provide timely and accessible COVID-19 testing or to schedule an appointment.
- CVS Health
- Local independent pharmacies in partnership with Health Mart, eTrueNorth, and TOPCO
- Rite Aid
- Walgreens
- Walmart in partnership with Quest Diagnostics
Free Testing Kits per Household
All households are able to order one set of four free at home COVID 19 Tests. For these free testing kits use the following link: https://special.usps.com/testkits
Connect with Us
Email: emily.forbes@poquoson.org
Website: https://va02205104.schoolwires.net/Page/9
Location: 500 City Hall Avenue, Poquoson, VA, USA
Phone: 757-868-3055
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/poquosonschools/
Twitter: @PoquosonSchools