COVID-19 Protocols
AACS COVID-19 Protocols Summary Update
Annapolis Area Christian School’s updated pandemic protocols include new guidance from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), MDH (Maryland Department of Health), MSDE (Maryland State Department of Education), and AACDOH (Anne Arundel County Department of Health). These new protocols—summarized below—supersede the relevant portions of the 10.27.21 K-12 School and Child Care COVID-19 Guidance and the AACS 2021-2022 Opening Plan.
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AACS community members with a COVID-19 confirmed case must isolate and quarantine at home for five days and be fever-free with no symptoms for 24 hours before returning to school/work. (MSDE-MDH, 3.2.2022)
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COVID-19 tests are no longer required to return to campus following quarantine/isolation. (MSDE-MDH, 3.2.2022)
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Home health tests may be used to confirm a COVID-19 infection. (AAC DOH, 2.14.22)
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AACS will no longer close contact trace. (MSDE-MDH, 3.2.22)
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Families whose children are in cohorts or classrooms of confirmed cases will be notified via email. (MSDE-MDH, 3.2.22)
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Symptom-free children/faculty/staff who are cohort or classroom contacts do not have to quarantine. (MSDE-MDH, 3.2.22)
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The AACS mask status is determined by the CDC's COVID-19 Community Levels: green, yellow, orange. (CDC, 2.25.22)
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If any campus reaches the threshold of 5 percent positivity rate or more in any 7 days, that campus will be mask-required regardless of the COVID-19 Community Level until the 7-day number falls below 3 percent. (2021-2022 AACS Opening Plan)
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Masks are not required on AACS buses and vans.(CDC, 2.25.22)
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However if a campus or schoolwide mask requirement is reinstated, masks will be required on AACS buses/vans. (2021-2022 AACS Opening Plan)
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Frequently Asked Questions
- When should I wear a mask indoors at AACS?
- Will Contact Tracing Continue?
- How long do I stay home if I have COVID-19?
- COVID-19 Outbreak in Schools Definition
- Why are masks optional on school buses but not on other public transportation options?
When should I wear a mask indoors at AACS?
- Masking is a choice on all AACS campuses and on AACS buses and vans.
- If the new CDC COVID-19 community spread levels in Anne Arundel County move into the high range or if a campus , families, faculty, and staff will be notified when to resume wearing masks indoors.
- If a community member tests positive for COVID-19, s/he must wear a mask on campus on days 6 through 10 post-symptom onset/or COVID-19 confirmation.
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Members of our school community may choose to mask regardless of the COVID-19 community spread level.
Will Contact Tracing Continue?
Based on guidance from the CDC and other national public health organizations, universal contact tracing is no longer needed in schools.
- AACS principals will email parents/guardians when there is a positive case within a K-12 cohort/classroom.
- AACS will continue to follow existing procedures for reporting communicable diseases (COMAR 10.06.01) and notify the local health department when an on-campus community member has tested positive for COVID-19.
How long do I stay home if I have COVID-19?
- AACS community members with COVID-19 confirmed cases must isolate at home for five days and be fever-free with no symptoms for 24 hours before returning to school/work.
- A negative test result is not required but recommended to return to school after five days at home and symptom-free for at least 24 hours.
- When an AACS community member returns to campus after a 5-day quarantine, s/he is required to wear a mask indoors except when eating from day 6 to day 10.
- Faculty, staff, and students with COVID-19 symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should follow CDC guidelines for isolation and quarantine.
COVID-19 Outbreak in Schools Definition
COHORT/CLASSROOM
three or more COVID-19 cases among students/teachers/staff in a specified group with onsets (or, if asymptomatic, collection dates) within 14 days and who are epidemiologically linked in the school setting but not household contacts (AAC DOH, 3.8.22)
CAMPUS-WIDE
Five or more cohorts/classrooms with cases from separate households that meet the classroom/cohort outbreak definition that occurs within 14 days; OR
5% or more unrelated students/teachers/staff have confirmed COVID 19 within a 14 day period [minimum of 10 unrelated students/teachers/staff]. (AAC DOH, 3.8.22)
NOTE
If any campus reaches the threshold of 5 percent positivity rate or more in any 7 days, that campus will be mask-required regardless of the community spread level until the 7-day number falls below 5 percent. (2021-2022 AACS Opening Plan, 8.2021, updated March 2022)
Why are masks optional on school buses but not on other public transportation options?
CDC COVID-19 Related Links
Questions? Contact Your Campus Principal
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If you have any questions, please contact your campus principal.
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Upper School: Dr. Cheryl Washington, cwashington@aacsonline.org
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Middle School: Mr. Ben Peddicord
bpeddicord@aacsonline.org -
Annapolis Lower School: Mrs. Elizabeth Williams
ewilliams@aacsonline.org -
Severn Lower School: Mr. Karl Graustein
kgraustein@aacsonline.org
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