Dear TMSA and QCSS Parents,
We are going through another surge in the pandemic related to the omicron variant that is more contagious but less dangerous than the previous COVID-19 variants.
TMSA closely monitors COVID-19 cases among the students and staff and strictly implements federal, state, and county public health and safety guidelines to stay open safely.
The NC Department of Health and Human Services has updated its StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit (K-12) with the latest CDC guidelines today. The key takeaways:
- Students benefit from in-person learning, and safely returning to in-person instruction is a priority.
- Vaccination, including getting a booster if eligible, is currently the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Promoting vaccination can help schools safely return to in-person learning as well as extracurricular activities and sports.
- Masks should be worn indoors by all individuals (age 2 and older) who are not fully vaccinated. Consistent and correct mask use by people who are not fully vaccinated is especially important indoors and in crowded settings, when physical distancing cannot be maintained.
- Many schools serve children under the age of 12 who recently became eligible to be vaccinated. Therefore, this guidance emphasizes implementing layered prevention strategies, (e.g., using multiple prevention strategies together consistently) to protect people who are not fully vaccinated, including students, teachers, staff, and other members of their households.
- Localities should monitor community transmission, vaccination coverage, screening testing, and occurrence of outbreaks to guide decisions on the level of layered prevention strategies.
You can click HERE to access the updated interim guideline.
As quarantine and isolation requirements have been changed remarkably for those exposed to the Omicron, your schools will share the details of their implementation plans and possible changes in their daily operations, if any.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
TMSA Public Charter Schools