Superintendent's Letter & DPH Guidance on Screen and Stay
November 10, 2021
Dear Parents, Guardians, and Staff of Cromwell Public Schools,
On Thursday, November 4th, Governor Lamont shared guidance about Screen and Stay, a new procedure offered by the CT Department of Public Health (DPH) regarding school quarantines. Since then, districts have received more guidance from DPH and the CT State Department of Education (CSDE) regarding this approach. Click on this link for the Updated Guidance from DPH/CSDE. In collaboration with our local health department, Cromwell Public Schools has decided to adopt the Screen and Stay approach and it will go into effect immediately. At this time and under this guidance, not all students who are identified as close contacts will qualify for Screen and Stay.
Students and staff who are not fully vaccinated may remain in school after a close contact, provided:
1. The only contact occurred during the school day (no extracurricular or social contact)
2. If indoors or on a school bus or other transportation, both the contact and the case were masked during exposure regardless of duration
3. If outdoors, masked or unmasked, but staff supervised (e.g., mask breaks, PE, recess)
4. The contact remains asymptomatic (any symptoms revert to regular isolation/quarantine)
Examples of close contacts that would not support a Screen and Stay approach:
1. Contact with a case during interscholastic or other athletic activities (other than during supervised PE)
2. Contact occurring during social interactions or similar activities outside of school
3. Contact where the case or contact is not consistently and correctly wearing a mask indoors (e.g., eating, wind instrument playing) and 6' of distance is not maintained
4. Household contacts (i.e., the contact lives with the case)
5. The contact cannot consistently and correctly wear a mask
6. The contact occurs in ECS Preschool Program (staff and students)
Students eligible for Screen and Stay will be required to complete a daily screening on each of the 14 days after exposure. Parents/Guardians/Staff will be provided with an affirmation of intent to comply with Screen and Stay requirements form to sign at the onset of the quarantine. Individuals who attest to following this protocol cannot participate in aerosol-generating activities while in school (e.g., PE, wind instrument playing, choir/singing, projected speech) and will be provided with alternative programming for the duration of the Screen and Stay period.
The Screen and Stay procedure requires several steps for successful implementation and we are pleased to offer this option to help keep students in school. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. If you have any questions, please contact Nurse Coordinator, Ms. Gillian Hanson at ghanson@cromwell.k12.ct.us .
Sincerely,
Enza Macri, Ed.D.
Dr. Enza Macri
Superintendent of Schools
"Placing Students First"
Cromwell Public Schools
9 Captain James Mann Memorial Drive
Cromwell, CT 06416
Office: 860-632- 4838
Fax: 860-632-4865