In the Loop
Reopening 2021-2022
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Welcome Back to School!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Reopening
Q: When do students wear masks and when do they not wear masks?
A: Students will wear masks during school bus transport, in class settings where they are within three to six feet of others, and when in close contact group settings. Students do not need to wear masks in uncrowded hallways, outdoors, in cafeterias, or any other time where social distancing can be achieved.
Q: How is a close contact defined?
A “close contact” is defined by the CDC as someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes). [ADPH Toolkit page 3]
Q: What are the quarantine exemptions?
A: Asymptomatic vaccinated close contacts do not need to be sent home but should monitor for
symptoms, and isolate if symptoms develop. (Page 3)
• Asymptomatic close contacts who have tested positive for and recovered from COVID-19 in the prior 3 months do not need to be sent home unless they develop symptoms.
• Asymptomatic close contacts who meet the K-12 indoor classroom student exclusion noted in the previous section do not need to be sent home unless they develop symptoms.
• Unvaccinated individuals who are identified as a close contact and do not meet the K-12 indoor classroom student criteria above must be sent home. School officials should share an exposure letter with staff and parents of students.
Q: Will students who are exposed be excluded from school and extracurricular activities?
A: Not necessarily. It depends on the guidance in the ADPH exposure letter on page 17 of the Toolkit.
Q: If my child wears a mask to school every day, will he/she/they be automatically exempt from having to quarantine for close contact exposure?
A: Masks reduce the need to quarantine in most cases. See page 3 of the Toolkit.
Q: If the school calls and informs me my child is a close contact, what should I do?
A: The exposure letter (Toolkit page 15) will be sent home via email to the parent.
Q: What if my child had COVID right before school started? Do we need to present a negative COVID test result?
A: As long as isolation days have been completed, your child may return to school without a negative COVID test. In addition, your child will be exempt from quarantine for 90 days.
Q: How are TCS campuses and facilities ventilated?
A: Our buildings are properly ventilated with air circulated from the outdoors. Air quality is regularly monitored.
Q: Who does contact tracing and quarantining?
A: Health departments are responsible for contact tracing and quarantining.
Q: What if the parent of a student is positive and/or a child was exposed outside of school. Who does the parent notify and what is the school response?
A: We encourage any households with positive cases to notify the school office immediately and follow the ADPH Toolkit guidelines. The school’s attendance clerk will code the absence as COVID related.
Please submit any questions you may have via this Google Form.
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About Trussville City Schools
Download the TCS Smartphone App!
Website: https://www.trussvillecityschools.com/Page/1
Location: 113 North Chalkville Road, Trussville, AL, USA
Phone: 205-228-3000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrussvilleSchools/
Twitter: @TrussvilleK12