Howard County schools announce new COVID protocols ahead of first day of classes

Aug. 18—With the start of the new school year approaching on Aug. 29, the Howard County Public School System has issued revised COVID-19 protocols to adapt to the changing realities of an almost 2 1/2 -year-old pandemic.

While many of the 2022-2023 policies are similar to those in place at the end of last school year, such as voluntary mask-wearing indoors and on school transportation, there are several key differences. All protocols will now apply to individuals regardless of vaccination status, meaning unvaccinated staff and students will no longer have to quarantine if they are close contacts with someone infected by COVID-19.

"Moving into the new school year, I am encouraged by the positive outlook expressed by health experts who have started shifting from pandemic to endemic conversations," HCPSS Superintendent Michael Martirano said at a Board of Education meeting Tuesday. "I am thrilled to begin the school year without many of the requirements we had over the past several years yet retaining some of the best practices for ventilation."

Maryland Department of Health officials had issued guidance to the State Department of Education relaxing quarantine recommendations, based on COVID-19 guidelines updated by the CDC on Aug. 11. The Howard County Health Department updated its guidance based on both the CDC and the state health department.

HCPSS staff and students who test positive for COVID-19 are required to isolate for at least five days and may return in person on day six if they are fever free and have reduced symptoms. Individuals must wear a mask for 10 days after testing positive, unless they record two negative rapid antigen tests taken 48 hours apart on or after day five.

Regardless of vaccination status, close contacts do not need to quarantine as long as they are asymptomatic, but it is recommended that they mask for 10 days after exposure and get tested.

As further detailed in the 2022-2023 HCPSS Reopening Plan released on Aug. 15, student athletes are no longer required to provide vaccination status when registering for sports and universal contact tracing is not recommended for schools, unless in response to an outbreak.

"If you do contact tracing right, it is very time consuming," Board of Education Chair Vicky Cutroneo said. "Just that piece I think really frees up our staff to focus on teaching, they're not spending their time making phone calls."

The school system also will not offer mass testing to students and staff when the school year kicks off, nor will it keep an online dashboard of positive cases. While the dashboard was a useful tool at its inception for indicating case trends, schools spokesperson Brian Bassett says reliance on self-reporting made numbers inaccurate and that "with upgrades to the presentation of data by the CDC and HCHD, families are now better able to see trends in the communities using those resources."

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The county health department maintains up to date COVID testing information and county case numbers for residents on its website. Howard County health officer Dr. Maura Rossman also sent a back-to-school letter to the community on Aug. 15, in which she emphasized families should consult with doctors, schools and available resources to manage personal COVID-19 risks.

"COVID has disrupted all of our lives and remains a serious challenge to our community," Rossman wrote. "But due to our diligence and adherence to evidence-based strategies that prevent transmission and reduce serious disease, this fall will be the most normal back to school in years."

If an outbreak does occur, schools will deploy additional mitigation efforts, including over-the-counter test kits for students and staff, and will strongly encourage mask-wearing among affected groups. Any individuals who develop symptoms during the school day may also receive a rapid test in their school health room, with parent or guardian consent required for any students younger than 18.

"I encourage staff, students and families to have conversations with their doctors about the best ways to remain safe and healthy while COVID is still present," Martirano said. "Vaccines, boosters and testing are widely available through the Howard County Health Department."

According to the most recent MDH vaccine report, 87.4% of Howard County residents are fully vaccinated, one of the highest rates in the state. With this progress, Cutroneo is optimistic that Howard schools can focus primarily on educational issues this fall after more than two years of grappling with the pandemic.

"I know another surge is coming, I know another variant is coming. That's what happens with the flu," she said. "I'm cautiously optimistic but confident because our high vaccination rates in this county I think will offer a level of protection against [...] a severe level of the disease."

Visit the 2022-2023 HCPSS Health & Safety page to learn more about COVID-19 policies for the new school year.