Past Updates
Please review this page for past updates to Roanoke City Public Schools' COVID-19 procedures.
CDC Changes & Face Coverings Update – February 28, 2022
A Message on Behalf of the Roanoke City School Board:
As we have throughout the pandemic, Roanoke City Public Schools (RCPS) continues to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), our local health officials, and the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. We want to thank you for your support as recommendations continue to change.
On Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, the CDC announced significant changes to recommended COVID-19 mitigation strategies, including those for schools. The changes included revised metrics and strategies that communities, school districts, and families should consider when making decisions about health and safety related to COVID. More information can be found on the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.
Based on the new guidance and metrics from the CDC, Roanoke City’s COVID-19 community level is currently "medium." After discussions with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and careful review of the information released by the CDC, RCPS continues to recommend face coverings; however, we will no longer require face coverings for students, vaccinated staff, and visitors. This is in alignment with the CDC revisions and the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, and will go into effect immediately.
Students and staff are welcome to continue wearing a mask if they choose. Parents no longer need to notify schools of their choice to opt their student out of wearing a face covering.
In addition, face coverings will be optional on school buses. This change is also in alignment with the CDC announcement made late Friday. You can find more information at:https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/face-masks-public-transportation.html.
We will continue to monitor any changes in the guidance from the CDC and the VDH, and will communicate with you if we need to adjust our mitigation strategies.
Once again, thank you for your continued support of Roanoke City Public Schools.
As a reminder, we announced additional mitigation strategies on Feb. 18, including:
• A voluntary Test to Stay program
• Availability of free, high-quality N95 masks for students and staff
• 1,200 HEPA stand-alone air purifiers were deployed to every classroom and cafeteria this school year. Additional units are now being ordered and delivered to schools as an added layer of protection for our students and staff.
• A free COVID-19 Testing Program for staff in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health. Testing is conducted every Tuesday from 6:30 to 8 a.m. at the William Ruffner Operations Center.
Face Coverings Update – February 18, 2022
A Message on Behalf of the Roanoke City School Board:
Roanoke City Public Schools (RCPS) remains steadfast in our commitment toward ensuring the health and safety of our students and staff members. As we have throughout the pandemic, we are continuing to follow the guidance of our local health officials and the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. While face coverings are still required to be worn in Roanoke City Public Schools, SB739, which we must comply with by March 1, 2022, requires an opt-out option for parents and guardians who do not wish for their child to wear one. Below, you will find more details regarding the new law, how to opt-out if you choose this option for your child, and new mitigation strategies now available. We appreciate your support as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Opt-Out for Face Coverings
On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 739 into law. As a result of this legislation, parents may elect to opt their child out of the requirement to wear a face covering while in school.
It is important to remember, face coverings are still required by federal regulation on school-provided transportation, and the opt-out option does not apply to RCPS staff or visitors.
Parents/guardians wishing to opt-out their child from the face covering requirement must fill out the opt-out form. You must be logged into the student’s RCPS email account to complete the form.
Once logged in, please click here to access the opt-out form in English. (Update 2/28/22: The link has been removed since the opt-out form is no longer needed.)
Haz click aquí para realizar la encuesta. (Actualización 28/02/22: el enlace se eliminó porque ya no se necesita el formulario de exclusión)
Please remember, if you have multiple students in the district, you must complete an opt-out form for each student, using each student’s email login credentials.
Detailed instructions for logging into your student’s RCPS email account and how to complete the form for multiple students are available by clicking here. If you need assistance accessing the form, please call 853.2101.
If you wish for your student to continue wearing a face covering while in school, you do not need to fill out the form.
Test to Stay Program
Last month we made you aware that RCPS would soon begin offering the Test to Stay program through the Virginia Department of Health.
The Test to Stay program allows students who’ve been exposed to COVID-19 and who are not fully vaccinated to voluntarily participate in daily testing so they may continue to attend school during their quarantine period. Students must be able to wear a face covering at all times to participate in Test to Stay. Parents and guardians cannot opt students out of wearing face coverings during participation in Test to Stay.
RCPS will begin offering Test to Stay on Monday, February 21. With Test to Stay, the first step will still be to contact the school nurse prior to going to school if your child is exposed to COVID-19. If the nurse determines the student is eligible for the Test to Stay program, the student will test for the first 5 days after exposure and remain in school as long as the test is negative, and the student does not have symptoms. The student must continue to wear a face covering for 10 days after exposure.
It is important to note, students who have been exposed and are fully vaccinated or who’ve had COVID-19 within the last 90 days and do not have symptoms may still attend school without testing but must wear a well-fitting face covering. Parents and guardians cannot opt students out of wearing a face covering if they have been exposed to COVID-19 and do not want to quarantine.
Additional Mitigation Strategies
RCPS continues to offer a free COVID-19 Testing Program for staff in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health. Testing is conducted every Tuesday from 6:30 to 8 a.m. at the William Ruffner Operations Center. Paper consent forms are available; however, pre-registration is recommended. Click here for more information.
RCPS has free, high-quality KN95 masks available for students and staff. Please contact your school’s main office for information.
In addition, RCPS has 1,200 HEPA stand-alone air purifiers, which were deployed to every classroom and cafeteria this school year. Additional units are now being ordered and delivered to schools as an added layer of protection for our students and staff.
Exposed, Experiencing Symptoms, or Have Tested Positive?
As always, it is imperative for students and staff who have been exposed, are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, or who test positive for COVID-19 to stay home and contact the school nurse or employee health for a return to school date.
Contact Tracing Update - January 31, 2022
On Monday, January 25, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) announced it would no longer conduct contact tracing for every case of COVID-19. Instead, the VDH will focus on contact tracing for outbreaks and cases in high-risk settings, such as medical and long-term care facilities. The VDH indicates this change is in response to how quickly the virus is now spreading and the number of people infected who do not have symptoms.
With this change, the VDH will no longer provide support with contract tracing; therefore, the VDH recommends K-12 schools in Virginia only conduct contact tracing in outbreak situations. An outbreak is defined as:
• 3 cases (symptomatic or asymptomatic with a positive test) within a 14-day period and can be linked to a specific person/place/time; OR
• multiple cases, which make up 10% or more of a group. For example, a class, school, or team.
For this reason, Roanoke City Public Schools will now only conduct contact tracing and exposure notifications for outbreaks within the school setting and will no longer make notifications related to individual cases. RCPS will continue to update the Dashboard on the COVID-19 Information page of the division website with information related to outbreaks in an RCPS school or office setting.
For students who are asymptomatic or symptom-free and have been exposed to COVID-19 in the community or through an outbreak in the school setting, families may opt for them to participate in the Test to Stay program, as an alternative to quarantining. This is a new program through the VDH, which allows students who have been exposed to COVID-19 to take a COVID-19 rapid antigen test every day for 5 days following the exposure (except on weekends or holidays). If they test negative, the student is allowed to stay in school for in-person instruction. We expect this program to be operational by mid-February and will provide additional information soon. Students who have been exposed and who are asymptomatic who do not wish to participate in the Test to Stay program will quarantine for up to 10 days, or 7 days with a negative PCR test, as is the current practice outlined in the Infectious Disease (COVID-19) Preparedness and Response Plan.
Data as reported to Occupational and Student Health staff, as of January 28, 2022, indicates 97% of students who were exposed to COVID-19 in the school setting remained asymptomatic or tested negative for the virus. This reinforces that in-person learning is safe when everyone continues to follow mitigation strategies, including the wearing of face coverings, social distancing, hand washing, and getting vaccinations and boosters, if able. We also encourage our RCPS family to follow these mitigation strategies in the community. Together, we can keep ourselves and each other safe.
It is also imperative for students and staff who experience any symptoms of COVID-19 or who test positive for COVID-19 to stay home and contact the school nurse or employee health for a return to school date. Additionally, the VDH recommends anyone who tests positive or has symptoms to isolate/quarantine and contact friends and family they may have come in contact with, so they are able to quarantine as directed by the VDH guidelines.
Thank you for your support of Roanoke City Public Schools.
Face Coverings Update - January 22, 2022
The Roanoke City School Board will continue to require face coverings in schools, on buses, and on other school transportation, as medically and developmentally appropriate, for all students and staff as stated earlier this week. Transmission in our city remains high, as the Virginia Department of Health reports. We must do everything we can to keep our students and staff safe, while protecting in-person instruction.
Friday afternoon, the VDH and VDOE provided Interim Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in Virginia PreK-12 Schools, and we are currently reviewing this information. The Supreme Court of Virginia has not yet ruled on whether Governor Youngkin’s Executive Order No. 2 can overturn state law (SB 1303), and other federal guidance, including that from the CDC. Therefore, we will not deviate from our protocols and will continue to require face coverings in schools.
These continue to be unprecedented times, and we must continue to utilize all the mitigation strategies possible, as outlined in the Infectious Disease (COVID-19) Preparedness and Response Plan, for the safety of our students, staff, and our community.
Face Coverings Update - January 18, 2022
Governor Youngkin has issued Executive Order Number Two regarding masks that will go into effect on January 24, 2022. At this time, Roanoke City Public Schools will continue to require students, staff, and visitors to wear face coverings in schools and on buses, as medically and developmentally appropriate.
Virginia law currently requires school systems to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance in schools; therefore, face coverings will remain in effect in RCPS as we await further guidance from the Virginia legislature or are directed otherwise by the CDC. The use of face coverings on buses is a federal requirement issued in February 2021.
Senate Bill 1303, which was signed into law last year by the Virginia General Assembly, requires public schools in Virginia to offer in-person instruction and to follow mitigation strategies provided by the CDC to reduce the spread of COVID-19, to the maximum extent practicable. Current CDC guidance for COVID-19 prevention in K-12 schools includes indoor masking for individuals ages 2-years and older, including students, teachers, staff, and visitors in schools, regardless of vaccination status. Our partners at the Virginia Department of Health also continue to emphasize the important role face coverings play in reducing the transmission of COVID-19 in our community.
The health and safety of our students and staff are always our top priority. The layered prevention strategies RCPS has in place, including the use of face coverings, have been successful in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and keeping our schools open. We also urge everyone in our RCPS family to get their vaccinations and booster shots if able.
Thank you for your continued support of Roanoke City Public Schools.