SCHOOL UPDATES - WEEK OF 1/9/22
TOPICS INCLUDED: RETURN FROM WINTER BREAK UPDATES / SPRING 2022 COVID POLICIES; PARENT Q&A ZOOM MEETING; WEEK OF 1/9 DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP; SPRING ENRICHMENT; 1/14 COMMUNITY MEETING CANCELLED; PERIODIC COVID TESTING; MESSAGE FROM ASSITANT PRINCIPAL LEE
RETURN FROM WINTER BREAK UPDATES / SPRING 2022 COVID POLICIES
In addition to the following updates, please be sure to review the previous updates that were sent via Blackboard Connect and posted earlier this week in the news section of our website.
1. LAUSD has put out the following guide for students opting to self-test with an at-home Rapid test.
2. Students will continue to be required to mask at all times, indoors and outdoors. It is strongly recommended that all students wear well-fitting, non-cloth masks with a nose wire. All employees are required to wear surgical-type masks or higher. Los Angeles Unified will continue to provide these kinds of masks to students and employees if they need them.
3. Regardless of vaccination status, all members of our school community will be required to test weekly throughout the month of January.
4. LAUSD is adhering to the LACDPH’s recommendations and following the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travel guidelines. COVID-19 testing is not required
following travel.
5. The attached new isolation protocols for students and employees who test positive for COVID-19 will be in effect beginning Monday, January 10, 2022.
6. The following close contact protocols will be in effect beginning Monday, January 10, 2022.
a. Close contacts who are fully vaccinated (including a booster, if eligible) and are asymptomatic are exempt from quarantine. In order to remain in school, close contacts who are exempt from quarantine are still required to test on or after Day 5 after the date of last exposure. Students who have recovered from laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 within the last 90 days are also exempt from having to quarantine when identified as a close contact. Individuals must also monitor symptoms and wear upgraded masks (surgical, N95 or KN95) for 10 days following exposure.
b. Close contacts who are not fully vaccinated (including a booster, if eligible) and are asymptomatic may either:
i. Return to school after a five day quarantine (on day 6) with a negative test result (PCR or antigen) from a test taken on or after Day 5
or
ii. Remain at school under a modified quarantine ("test to stay"). This modified quarantine allows asymptomatic students who were exposed to a person with diagnosed COVID-19 to continue in-person academic activities that are part of the regular school curriculum and provided during school hours. The modified quarantine can only be considered if:
The exposure occurred in a TK-12 setting.
The exposure to infection occurred in a school setting where students were supervised by school staff (i.e. classroom, school grounds with school staff present, school bus).
The school can verify that both the infected student and the student identified as a close contact were mask compliant during the entire period of exposure, including outdoor exposure (masks must have been completely covering the individuals’ nose and mouth). Students with face mask accommodations are not allowed to participate in modified quarantine.
The exposure occurred in a school that does not have a confirmed active outbreak, as determined by LACDPH. An outbreak is when significant transmission (confirmed epi-linked cases) has occurred at a school within a 14-day period.
Individuals participating in modified quarantine must be tested twice per week for the duration of the quarantine period (“Test to Stay”). Tests can be either a rapid antigen test or a PCR test. The first test should be conducted at initial exposure or as soon as possible after the exposure (Day 1); the second test should ideally be on or after Day 5, so that the student can be released from quarantine on Day 6 if they test negative.
Students who are participating in modified quarantine cannot participate in extracurricular activities, including sports, clubs, Beyond the Bell, and other before and after school care or programming. The modified quarantine is meant to let students continue learning during the instructional day but does not cover other activities outside of the regular school curriculum. Students must leave campus after school and go directly home.
Students in modified quarantine must wear a surgical-style mask or higher PPE at all times on school grounds except when they are eating or drinking.
PARENT Q&A ZOOM MEETING
Principal Kim will be hosting a Q/A session on Monday, January 10 at 8:30 AM to address questions. The Zoom link is:
Meeting ID: 895 8965 2048
Passcode: gopanth3rs
WEEK OF 1/9 DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP
All AM drop-off and PM pick-up procedures that were in place prior to winter break will remain in effect. We will continue to use all of the same entrances and exits.
During the week of 1/9, all AM drop-off gates will have two lines. One line for students who have a Daily Pass QR code and another line for those without.
Families that use the June Street B car line MUST have a daily pass.
We anticipate there will be significant delays admitting students this upcoming week. Thank you in advance for extending us your patience and grace.
LAUSD SPRING 2022 ENRICHMENT
A list of which enrichment classes are being offered can be found at https://enroll.lausd.net/en/enrichment.
1/14 COMMUNITY MEETING CANCELLED
The community meeting scheduled for Friday. January 14 has been canceled.
PERIODIC COVID TESTING
Our COVID periodic testing this week will take place on Tuesday, January 11.
MESSAGE FROM ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL LEE
Over winter break, Assistant Principal Helen Lee's husband, Jonathan Hong passed away. Please see her message below, thanking our community for its support.
Dear 3rd Street Family,
I want to share my deepest gratitude for supporting my family during one of the most difficult times of our lives. Many of you have sent warm condolences and comforting messages, and without your prayers and kind gestures, we would not have been able to send our loved one peacefully. I am thankful to know that I am surrounded by loving friends and families who are there for me during such sadness in my life.
With all your generous donations and encouraging words, we were able to host a beautiful funeral service to remember my husband’s fighting efforts. He was a strong fighter with a humorous personality that lit up every room he was in. He loved to make the best out of every situation, and I will continue to do the same in his honor as I urge all of us to do during these hectic moments.
Once again, Hannah, David and I truly thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity. We wish you a happy New Year and a safe return to 3rd Street.
