Dear Portsmouth Families:
In the past month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), and the Portsmouth City Health Department released recommendations and requirements regarding facial covering protocols for the start of the 2021-22 school year. In considering these guidelines, the Portsmouth City Schools strongly recommends facial coverings for all students, staff, and visitors as we begin the new school year. The exception to this will be those students who ride on a school bus before or after school – all students and staff will be required to wear a facial covering when on the bus. The past 18 months have been very trying for all and these recommendations are not being made without careful consideration to ensure that our students are able to attend school this year 5 days per week. In-person instruction is vital to see that academic and social emotional needs are being met on a daily basis and the safety of our students and staff members continues to be our primary concern. The facial covering policy will continue to be evaluated throughout the school year and modified as needed with the following agreement for Scioto County: 10 positive student and/or staff cases of Covid-19 in a building will mandate masks for that building for 10 calendar days and at that point the status will be reevaluated.
The COVID-19 protocols that were put in place last school year will continue as part of our “new” normal and include, but are not limited to, the following:
· Promotion of proper hygiene – regular washing/sanitizing of hands throughout the school day
· Allowable use of water bottles in classrooms in lieu of water fountains
· Social Distancing in classrooms, hallways, and cafeteria
· Continued cleaning and sanitization routines
· Modified quarantining and isolation protocols
· Seating Charts for proper contact tracing
The district will continue to monitor the Coronavirus levels for our city and county in order to make informed decisions as to modifications to our Return to School Plan. We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to a great school year. Please visit our Portsmouth City Schools Facebook Page and our District Website for continued updates throughout the year.
Sincerely,
Scott Dutey