Fort Plain Central School District > Archive > Mask mandate and COVID-19 protocols update

Mask mandate and COVID-19 protocols update

March 2, 2022

Dear Fort Plain Central School Community,

As you are aware, the statewide universal mask mandate for schools was lifted as of today, March 2, 2022. This means that the majority of students, staff and school visitors are no longer required to wear a mask in our school buildings or school buses. Mask wearing, however, continues to be optional for everyone.

As you also know, health and safety guidance from the state and local health departments related to COVID-19 continues to evolve. While the latest state guidance removes the mask requirement, the following health and safety protocols remain in place:

  • Regardless of vaccination status, if a student tests positive for COVID-19 they must isolate for a full five days. Students may return to school after day five if they are asymptomatic or if symptoms are resolving. For days 6-10 following a positive test, students are required to wear a mask in school, including on the school bus.
  • If a student has been exposed to COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, it is highly recommended they wear a mask for a full 10 days following that exposure.
  • State and local health officials continue to recommend testing for COVID-19 following a possible exposure. COVID-19 tests are available at school to anyone who wants one. If you need a test, please contact Keri Constable, LPN, at 518-993-4000.
  • Anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home from school, regardless of vaccination status or recent infection, until tested and/or isolate for five days. If your student has symptoms and you aren’t sure what to do, or if you need a COVID-19 test kit, contact Keri Constable, LPN, at 518-993-4000.

We remain committed to keeping our students in school, while providing a safe learning environment for all. We will continue to follow a tiered mitigation strategy to prevent the spread of illness in our schools and on our buses. This includes enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures and improved ventilation, in addition to providing free at-home COVID-19 testing kits to our families and staff.

We will also continue our due diligence with regard to notifying impacted staff and families if we learn about a positive case. In some situations, this will involve a general notification alerting staff and families that there was a positive case in a particular class or school. In other cases, the identification of close contacts may be warranted. In these cases, we will provide the most up-to-date information related to COVID-19 testing, quarantine and isolation.

We will continue to work with our local health department as we move forward to follow the metrics as they relate to cases, infection rates and hospitalizations, and we will keep you updated as information is shared.

I thank you again for your patience, resolve and commitment to ensuring that we followed the plan and in turn, made sure people were safe.

Sincerely,
Jeffery Ziegler
Interim Superintendent