PRSD Health Advisory: New Year's Eve COVID-19 Update

December 31, 2021

Dear School Community Member:

Good morning. I hope this note finds you and your family healthy and enjoying the holiday recess. On behalf of the Board of Education and the staff in Park Ridge, we wish everyone a happy and healthy start to 2022.

The Executive County Superintendent of Schools has informed all districts that switching a school or district to remote learning must come via a direct recommendation by the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH), the Bergen County Department of Health (BCDOH) or the Office of the Governor. It is important to note that we have received no such recommendation. As a result, we look forward to the return of our students for a full day of in-person instruction on Monday, January 3rd. Please note that per the Governor, a remote instruction option is still not available.

Since we left for the holidays we have been informed of the following cases of COVID-19 in the school community: HS - 21; EB - 12; WR - 8. It is important to note that approximately half (21) of these individuals started symptoms or tested positive prior to the break and will be able to return to school on Monday.

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has changed their guidance for COVID-19 positive individuals or close contacts by decreasing the quarantine period in certain situations. While additional information is forthcoming, please be advised that the CDC has not yet applied the recently revised isolation and quarantine timeframes for the general population of K-12 schools. Therefore, we will continue to follow the guidance that was issued on December 15th, which is listed at the bottom of this email.

I will continue to monitor all communications from the NJDOH and BCDOH during the holiday weekend. In addition, our principals will keep a close watch on staffing in each of our schools. If anything changes in regards to reopening schools on January 3rd I will inform the school community, immediately.

In closing, this is an extremely fluid situation. It is impossible to predict what will happen in the next few weeks, but with the availability of vaccinations for all of our students and staff we are in a much better position this year to keep children in school. Let's continue to work together to keep everyone healthy.

As always, please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions.

All the best to you and your family for a happy and healthy 2022.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Gamper, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

NJDOH K-12 School Guidance (December 15, 2021)

COVID-19 Positive - Any student or staff member who tests positive for COVID-19 must quarantine for 10 days from the onset of symptoms or the positive test. A doctor's note is not required to return to in-person instruction and extra-curricular activities;
Close Contacts - Any student or staff member who is unvaccinated and is a close contact to a COVID-19 positive individual must quarantine for 10 days (or 7 days with negative test results collected at 5-7 days - PCR or Antigen);
Home Based Testing - According to the NJDOH Guidance for K-12 Schools, home based test kits may not be used to determine if a symptomatic individual can return to school or shorten the quarantine from 10 to 7 days;
Vaccinated Individuals - Any student or staff member who is fully vaccinated (or an unvaccinated individual who has tested positive within 90 days) and a close contact to a positive individual does not need to quarantine, but should monitor for symptoms. Along these lines, please inform the school nurse of your child's vaccination status. This will help keep students in school for instruction and athletics;
COVID Compatible Symptoms - Lastly, and most importantly, please do not send a sick child to school. Individuals who are sick will need a negative test (PCR or Antigen) to return to school based on the guidance below:

For school settings, the NJDOH recommends that students with the following symptoms be promptly isolated from others and excluded from school:
At least two of the following symptoms: fever (measure or subjective), chills, rigors (shivers), myalgia (muscle aches), headache, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, congestion or runny nose;
OR At least one of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, new olfactory disorder, new taste disorder.