2021-2022 School Year Resources

Shortened Isolation Period for COVID-19 Cases

Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and New York State Department of Health (DOH) guidance, the New York City Department of Education (DOE) has shortened the isolation period for K-12 students with a positive COVID-19 test result from 10 days to 5 days. This means if your child tests positive for COVID-19 and is in kindergarten or higher, your child can return to school on Day 6 if they have no symptoms or their symptoms are improving, and they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. Students returning from isolation on Day 6 must wear a well-fitting mask such as a KN95, KF94, or a cloth mask over a disposable surgical mask on Days 6–10.

Please be aware that any child (in any grade) who has completed their isolation period is NOT required to show proof of a negative test result before being allowed to return to school.

Shortened Quarantine for COVID-19 Exposure

The CDC and DOH also shortened the quarantine period for students exposed to COVID-19. Students in grades kindergarten or higher will continue to use home test kits to stay in school after an in-school exposure. If your child is NOT fully vaccinated and was exposed to COVID-19 outside of a school setting, your child must quarantine for at least 5 days; this is reduced from 10 days. If your child is fully vaccinated and was exposed outside of school, your child can continue to attend school so long as they do not have any symptoms. All students are required to wear masks while on school grounds, and students returning from isolation or quarantine on Day 6 must wear a well-fitting mask such as a KN95, KF94, or a cloth mask over a disposable surgical mask on Days 6–10.

For an unvaccinated student of any age who is exposed to COVID-19 in the home, if the COVID-positive household member and student are staying in the same home, the student must continue to quarantine for at least 5 additional days after the household member’s isolation period has ended.

Please note: if your child has recovered from COVID-19 in the last 90 days, they do not need to quarantine following an exposure and may continue to attend school unless they develop COVID-like symptoms.

COVID-19 Home Test Kits

Children ages 2 and up who are exposed to COVD-19 at school will receive two tests. The test kits come with printed instructions that you should follow when administering the test. You can also watch videos in multiple languages on how to use your test kit at schools.nyc.gov/HomeRapidTestKits.

Please note: if your child has recovered from COVID-19 in the last 90 days, they will not receive a test kit and may continue to attend school unless they develop COVID-like symptoms.

Remote Instruction for Students Isolating Due to COVID-19

Any student who tests positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home is entitled to asynchronous remote instruction and access to office hours with a teacher based on availability. Your school will provide details about how children in those circumstances can access remote instruction and office hours.

Keeping Our Communities Healthy

Daily Health Screener

Starting Monday, January 31, the daily health screening form will be revised to reflect new health policies and options for those recently recovered from COVID-19. Please continue to help your child complete the health screener every day before coming to school. 

Face Covering Reminder

The DOE’s face covering policy continues to be in effect. All students over the age of two years old must wear a face covering when entering a DOE building unless they have a medical exemption. Face coverings must be worn both indoors and outdoors when on DOE grounds, regardless of COVID-19 vaccine status.

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) recommends that all individuals should consider wearing two masks or a higher-grade mask, such as a KN95 or KF94. Using a cloth mask over a disposable mask improves the fit and adds additional protective layers.

COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots

Students ages 12 and older who received their second Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at least five months ago can now receive booster shots to further strengthen their immunity against COVID-19 and help safeguard our community against the virus. Additionally, children ages 5 to 11 with certain immunocompromising conditions who received their Pfizer-BioNTech initial vaccine series at least 28 days ago are now eligible for a booster shot. The CDC and DOH strongly encourage all eligible New Yorkers to get their booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, which is free and widely available. To find a vaccine site near you, visit vaccinefinder.nyc.gov(Open external link).

If you have questions about booster shots, talk to your health care provider or call 311.

Translated versions of this message are available on the NYC Department of Education Website.

Vaccinations

We strongly encourage vaccination for all students 12 and older. 

All students and staff who participate in high-risk PSAL sports must be vaccinated against COVID-19. Students in fall high-risk sports must get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by their first day of competitive play. Winter and spring PSAL participants have until the beginning of their season to be fully vaccinated.

Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) Vaccination Policy 

As a reminder, COVID-19 vaccination will be required this year for DOE students and staff participating in Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) sports considered high-risk for potential COVID-19 transmission. High-risk sports include football, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, lacrosse, stunt, and rugby. Vaccination will also be required for participation in bowling because while the sport is not high risk, the locations where it occurs require vaccination.   

 Participants in fall high-risk sports must get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the first day of competitive play, which varies by sport. Winter and spring PSAL participants have until the beginning of their season to be fully vaccinated. For additional information about health and safety protocols for PSAL in the 2021-22 school year, please visit schools.nyc.gov/PSAL.  

 Extracurricular Activities Vaccination Policy

Consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and State guidance, COVID-19 vaccination will be required this year for students who are at least 12 years old and are participating in afterschool extracurricular activities considered high-risk for potential COVID-19 transmission.

High risk afterschool activities include:

• Chorus
• Musical Theater
• Dance / Dance Team
• Band / Orchestra / Marching Band
• Cheerleading / Step Teams / Flag Team

Please reach out to your school for additional information regarding participation in these activities.

Student Vaccination Portal

Families are encouraged to record their student’s vaccination status in the DOE's COVID-19 Vaccination Portal(Open external link). Submitting this information will support New York City’s pandemic response and recovery efforts, and help ensure that DOE schools and buildings remain safe places for all students and staff.

Students and their families can access the Vaccine Portal with the student's DOE account login credentials (email and password). This is their @nycstudents.net account.  If they need help activating their account, please contact Mrs. Reed at helen.reed@wjps.org.

• Visit the DOE Student Account page for help setting up or accessing your child’s account.

The Vaccine Portal will ask you to identify the type of vaccine, where you received it (in or out of New York City) and when you received the vaccine, and will prompt you to upload the image or screenshot of the proof of vaccine.

• Proof of vaccination can be an image of a vaccination card, NYS Excelsior Pass, or other government record.
• Take the image or screenshot and save it to your computer for uploading into the portal.
• The portal can be translated using Google Translate.

We have put safety procedures in place to keep our students and staff healthy. 

• Health Screening: Students and visitors must show their health screening results before entering the building. Daily health screenings are required for admittance to DOE buildings and must be completed at home prior to the school day. Additionally, as part of the screening, student temperatures must be taken at home. Any family that needs a thermometer can request one from the school.   
• Masks: Protective face coverings will be required for all people inside and outside of DOE buildings, including all students and staff, regardless of vaccination status. Face coverings are a simple, effective way to keep everyone in the school community safe. Masks can be removed during meals and for designated breaks throughout the day, during which physical distancing will be maximized.
• Handwashing: Students and staff are expected to wash hands thoroughly before and after eating, after using the bathroom, if exposed to body fluids (like saliva or a sneeze), and at other times necessary throughout the day.  
• Drop-off and pickup procedures: Please maintain social distancing between families during drop-off and pickup. Parents are not allowed to enter the building with their child. Please move through the drop-off and pickup line as quickly as possible to make room for families behind you. 
• Visiting our school: All visitors must show proof of at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccination to enter a DOE building. We are limiting visitors to the school during this time.  All visits must be pre-approved and scheduled with the office. Visitors must wear a mask and practice social distancing. During check-in, your temperature will be taken and you will be given a nametag and reminded to wear your mask at all times. You will be escorted from the lobby to the third floor.
• Traffic flow in hallways and common areas: Hallways are marked with arrows. Please keep at least 3 ft. distance between yourself and others.
• Illness: Students and staff exhibiting signs of illness or having a fever of greater than 99.9°F must stay home. If you or someone you know has COVID-19 (or shows symptoms of COVID-19 such as coughing or fever), it is required that you stay home for a minimum of 10 days. Out of an abundance of caution, vaccinated close contacts are encouraged to take a COVID-19 test three to five days after potential exposure.  Please contact us via phone or email as soon as possible.
• Directions for local COVID testing: Please visit the NYS Coronavirus Find a Test Site(Opens in a new browser tab)  page to find a test site closest to you.

The DOE and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) have reached an agreement regarding pivoting to remote instruction in the event of an emergency closure.  We are working on creating a corresponding easy-to-read document, but in the meanwhile, here is a quick summary:

• In the event of an emergency school or classroom closure, whether due to positive COVID-19 tests or snowstorms, classes will shift to remote learning for a period of time. In most such cases, teachers and other school personnel will conduct on-line lessons in real time (synchronous instruction).
• If only a subset of students in a classroom is quarantined, those students will receive access to remote lessons that teachers and other school personnel have videotaped in advance (asynchronous instruction). However, those students will also be able to interact live with teachers during specified office hours.
• In addition, on Election Day — Tuesday, November 2 — school buildings will be closed but students will receive remote asynchronous assignments.
• Parent-Teacher Conferences will be conducted remotely; teachers will still have dedicated parent engagement time weekly. 

Providing a high-quality learning environment for medically fragile students has always been a focus of the DOE. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pre-existing home instruction program is being expanded and will be available to more students that meet the criteria.  

The Medically Necessary Instruction program provides interim educational services for school-aged children (from 3K to grade 12) in all five boroughs who are unable to attend school due to medical or psychiatric reasons. It can include individual in-person instruction by a certified teacher, or individual and small group instruction by certified teachers through digital platforms.   

Taking COVID-19 into consideration, DOHMH has determined that students who actively have one of the conditions below would be approved for medically necessary instruction.  Students with medical or psychiatric conditions that are not listed below may still apply; all applications will be reviewed by a medical expert.

Any family with a student who is immunocompromised due to a medical condition or treatment for a medical condition may apply. Applications from families with any condition not listed will undergo review to determine eligibility. 

Active Cancer    

Chronic Renal Diseases     

Sickle Cell     

Gastro/Crohn’s Disease     

Thalassemia     

Leukemia    

Metabolic Disorders    

Heart Conditions     

Muscular Dystrophy     

Adrenal Disorder 

Cystic Fibrosis     

Liver Disease     

Tumor     

Congenital Lung Disease    

Congenital Heart Condition    

Lymphoma    

Cerebral Ataxia     

Seizures    

Stroke    

Multiple Sclerosis