In-Person Learning Safety Guidelines Set For Long Valley Students

LONG VALLEY, NJ — The Washington Township Schools is gearing up for its first day on Wednesday, with its Interim Superintendent Dr. Laura Morana, providing in-person learning safety information in her most recent weekly update for families and staff:

The guidelines included:

• Information on mask-wearing and Executive Order 251 - Governor Phil Murphy’s Executive Order 251 currently mandates face masks are worn in schools and on buses at all times, except in very limited instances. Students won’t be allowed on school buses unless they are masked and will be given mask breaks, as well as other opportunities, throughout the day to be unmasked. Parents who would like to apply for a medical exemption for their child, must have a “written documentation from a medical professional to support the exemption” only for consideration after submitted to the school’s principal, for review by the district’s medical inspector. The guidelines from the district provide the list of mask exceptions from the Executive Order here.
• Information about staff vaccines - Murphy’s Executive Order 253 requires staff to have a full course of the COVID-19 vaccinations by Oct. 18.
• Hand hygiene information - hand washing for 20 seconds at a time with soap and water will be taught and reinforced, with younger students assisted with the process. If soap and water are inaccessible, there will be hand sanitizer with a minimum of 60 percent alcohol.
• “Respiratory Etiquette” details - covering coughs and sneezes will be stressed, into an elbow or tissue, followed by disposal of used tissues and then hand washing.
• Health Screening - Parents need to check the health of their child daily and staff members also need to keep tabs on their own health. Both students and staff who aren’t feeling well should stay home and get in contact with the nurse in their school.
• Potential COVID-19 symptoms - A New Jersey Department of Health recommendation is students or staff who have at least two of the following symptoms should stay out of school and isolated: fever, chills, body aches, sore throat, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, runny nose or congestion. If students or staff experience one of the following, they should stay isolated and out of school: difficulty breathing, shortness of breath and new difficulties with taste or smell.
• COVID-19 symptoms and testing guidelines - Those who have symptoms that are like COVID-19 ones, whether or not they have been tested, should self-quarantine at home for a minimum of 10 days after the first day of the symptom onset and 24 hours once they’re fever-free. Asymptomatic people who tested positive should also stay home for 10 days. Other conditions such as a positive test for influenza or strep does not replace a negative COVID-19 test, which is needed for the return to school. COVID-19 tests are free and insurance isn’t required for them in New Jersey. Click here for testing locations.
• Close contact exclusions - For students or staff who don’t have any COVID-type of symptoms and are fully vaccinated, don’t need to be quarantined or tested after being exposed to a suspected or confirmed case. These individuals still need to check for symptoms up to 14 days later and should they crop up, should self-quarantine, seek medical care and COVID-19 testing.
• Domestic and international travel - According to CDC recommendations, students and staff who are unvaccinated and travel to states outside of New Jersey, especially on public transportation and are out-of-state for over 24 hours, should take a COVID test between 1-3 days before and then 3-5 days after. All air passengers who are traveling back to the United States will need a negative COVID test three or fewer days before they leave.

For the full list of back-to-school safety guidelines from the Washington Township Schools, click here.

Morana said parents with additional questions should directly contact their child's principal.

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