In accordance with a Florida Department of Health Emergency Rule issued Wednesday by the new Surgeon General, Volusia County Schools has updated its protocols related to student quarantining and contact tracing, effective immediately.
Under the Emergency Rule, if a student is exposed to COVID-19 but is asymptomatic, it will be up to the parent or guardian to determine whether to quarantine their child. The exposed student may attend school and participate in school activities as long as they do not have any symptoms of illness or test positive for COVID-19. The parent/guardian also has the option to quarantine the child for up to seven days from the date the exposure occurred.
VCS is updating its Decision Tree Student Protocol to reflect the new emergency rule. The protocol outlines the procedures schools and families must follow if a student tests positive for COVID-19 or is exposed to the virus.
At this time, VCS’ mandatory face-covering policy, which allows parents and guardians to opt their children out, will remain in place. Unless the parent chooses to opt-out of the mandatory face-covering policy, students in grades K-12 are required to wear face masks or shields while indoors at schools and facilities and while on school buses.
Adults are also required to wear face-coverings at schools and VCS facilities.
Additional information about COVID-19 health and safety is available at the Volusia County Schools’ COVID-19 Information site at www.vcsedu.org/covid-19-information.
