NYC Education Dept. scraps in-school student COVID-19 testing, daily health screeners
New York City school kids will no longer have to fill out daily health screening paperwork and students will not be tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis, the Education Department said Tuesday.
The changes are part of new guidance that scales back some of the precautions in place for the last two years of pandemic schooling.
Other COVID-19 rules will remain in place, including the requirement that anyone visiting city schools must show proof of at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine to enter, and that students must be vaccinated to participate in extracurricular activities like sports or performing arts.
Masks will remain optional for both kids and staff, and the city will continue distributing rapid COVID-19 tests to kids — handing out four to each student every month, plus additional tests to kids who may have been exposed to a COVID-positive classmate.
Students or staff who test positive for the virus must quarantine for five days, but can return to school on the sixth day — provided they wear a mask until the tenth day from the start of their symptoms, or until they test negative.
Schools will still be required to report any positive student or staff cases to the “Situation Room,” a task force that tracks school COVID cases. The Situation Room will alert classmates if anyone is exposed to the virus and will continue to update a daily map that shows where cases are reported, according to the DOE.
