Fulton Schools Updates COVID-19 Protocols Before First Day

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — As the new school year approaches, Fulton County Schools has said it is "committed to providing high-quality, uninterrupted, face-to-face instruction, while mitigating risk, for all students, employees, and visitors to the fullest extent possible for the 2021-2022 school year."

"COVID-19 continues to be a serious safety concern for our community," the district said in an update on Monday. "Due to the nature of COVID-19, FCS’ guidelines continue to change. We are committed to collaborating with local, state, and federal officials, parents, and employees to respond deliberately and proportionally to the varying levels of spread in our unique communities. We also remain committed to respecting the views and honoring the preferences of all stakeholders, to the fullest extent possible."

The district said it is experiencing a notable increase in the number of students and staff being diagnosed with COVID-19 amongst the vaccinated and unvaccinated. This also includes an increase in the number of school-age children and staff members requiring hospitalization, due in part to the more contagious delta variant.

Based on Fulton Schools' experience managing the risks associated with COVID-19, and the new data, the district said it will employ the following strategies:

• Masks will remain optional when conditions allow.
• The district’s mitigation strategy will consider the level of spread in each of our local communities.
• Schools located in municipalities where the rate of infection exceeds 100 per 100,000 residents will require all students, personnel, and visitors to wear masks until such time as the level of spread drops. Data will be taken from the Fulton County Board of Health Epidemiology Reports.
• Any Fulton County school or facility located within a jurisdiction where the state, county, or municipality requires a mask to be worn in public spaces will honor such orders until such time as it has expired.
• The district will provide students, visitors, and employees with masks meeting the criteria established by the CDC to include N95, KN95, multi-layered cloth washable, and approved disposable masks.
• All students and employees must notify the district if they have been directly exposed to an individual with COVID-19, received a positive COVID-19 result, or are awaiting test results.
• All students and staff may continue reporting to school and work after direct exposure if the individual remains symptom-free and wears a mask while on school district property for 10 days after exposure. The Georgia Department of Public Health and the Fulton County Board of Health strongly encourages individuals directly exposed to COVID-19 to get tested after three to five days.
• All passengers and drivers on school buses will be required to wear a mask in compliance with federal orders.
• Fulton Schools will continue to use a localized approach to school closures by employing the district’s closing matrix.
• All Fulton County Schools will continue to adhere to additional mitigation strategies. These include limiting large group gatherings, ensuring clean and sanitized facilities and buses, cleaning classrooms and buildings throughout the day, encouraging frequent handwashing, limiting communal items, and practicing physical (social) distancing where practical.

Read more: Back To School: Fulton County 2021-22 School Calendar