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Managing COVID-19 During the Upcoming School Year

Dear Mechanicville Parents and Caregivers,

Our faculty and staff are very excited to welcome back all of our students for the 2022-2023 school year! To help you prepare for your child’s first day back, we wanted to share with you the latest update from New York State (NYS) regarding their guidance for schools in managing COVID-19 during the upcoming school year. These new guidelines are aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s movement away from strict mitigation measures.

Detailed information about what parents/caregivers should know about COVID mitigation strategies can be accessed by visiting the following site:  Parent/Caregiver COVID Mitigation Strategies. The bullet points below will help you understand the impact on all of us as we return to school: 

  • In-person instruction will be provided for all students.

  • Masks and face coverings are optional, and we continue to respect the decisions by students and staff on whether they choose to wear a mask or not.

    • Masks are not required on school buses.

    • The NYS Department of Health recommends that individuals should wear a mask during days 5-10 after testing positive for COVID-19.

  • Quarantines are no longer required for close contacts. Please continue to monitor your child for COVID-19 symptoms and have them stay home when sick. 

  • Isolation for five days is still required for: 

    • Symptomatic individuals who test positive should isolate for 5 days from the date of symptom onset  (Day 0) with day 1 being the first full day after symptoms developed, and not use the day of the test administration;

    • Asymptomatic individuals who test positive use the day they tested as day 0, and not the day that results are received.

    • Please continue to report any positive cases so we can help your family navigate the absence and help your child to continue their learning.

  • School districts are no longer required to conduct contact tracing or report positive COVID-19 test results on a daily basis to the NYS Department of Health.

  • Physical distancing and cohorting are no longer recommended, so student activities and groupings will return to their pre-pandemic norms.

  • We will have COVID-19 home tests from New York State available. Families who would like to receive a test should email Beth Bornt bbornt@mechanicville.org or call 518-664-5727 ext. 2025 or you can contact the Health Office in your building. 

  • Though not required, we strongly encourage and recommend that all students and staff follow the guidance of the CDC and NYSDOH in regard to testing and masking, especially upon returning to school following an illness, as well as isolating and staying home when not feeling well.

We thank you for taking the time to read this information so that you can help your child or children as they begin the school year, and we join you in looking forward to regaining a greater sense of normalcy in the year ahead. 

Sincerely,

Kevin W. Kolakowski
Superintendent
Mechanicville City School District