In August 2022, the CDC revised its COVID-19 guidelines for safe in-person learning and operation of K-12 schools. Using those guidelines, FWA has updated its approach for the 2022 – 2023 school year. The impacts of COVID-19 on our community and our society continue to change, and as such, these FWA guidelines are subject to revision as needed.
FWA’s goal is to minimize the disruptions, while also maintaining necessary precautions for our community. We are so appreciative of the creativity, resiliency, cooperation, and when possible, humor, demonstrated by every one of you throughout these challenges.
FWA continues to promote the importance of being up to date with vaccinations.
As always, staff and students who have symptoms of respiratory or gastrointestinal infections, such as cough, fever, sore throat, vomiting, or diarrhea, should stay home. This standard applies to all forms of potentially contagious illness, including but not limited to COVID-19.
For those who have symptoms of COVID-19, testing is recommended as soon as possible after symptoms begin. Children who become ill at school will be asked to mask until they are able to be picked up.
In case of exposure to COVID-19, in lieu of quarantining, individuals should wear a high-quality mask for 10 days.
An asymptomatic individual may choose to test on day 5 after exposure. If a day 5 (or later) test result is negative, and an individual continues to be asymptomatic, they may end masking after day 5.
Individuals are required to stay home if they are sick and suspect they may have COVID- 19, but do not yet have test results, regardless of vaccination status. Do not delay testing in case of illness.
If an individual tests positive for COVID-19, FWA requires that they stay home for at least 5 days to isolate, regardless of vaccination status. If after 5 days they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication, and their symptoms are improving, or if they never had symptoms, they may end at-home isolation after day 5. Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 should continue to wear a high-quality mask through day 10.
As we welcome everyone back to campus for our 2022 - 2023 school year, Fort Worth Academy’s top priority remains the health and safety of our students, staff and families. We continue to adapt to the changes and challenges presented by COVID-19.
As in previous school years, FWA will continue to promote optimized ventilation to the school buildings, increase outdoor air intake and improve air filtration.
Additionally, FWA promotes hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. FWA teaches and reinforces covering coughs and sneezes to help keep individuals from getting and spreading infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
Finally, FWA has a thorough environmental cleaning protocol that includes cleaning high touch surfaces at least once a day to reduce the risk of germs spreading by touching surfaces.
Staff, students, and their families are strongly encouraged to report positive COVID-19 cases in the household to FWA, as well as positive cases anytime an individual has been in the school or at a school event.
School administrators will take the following steps when they are informed about a positive case within the FWA school campus:
- Document the date the person with COVID-19 started showing symptoms, or the date they tested positive for COVID-19 if no symptoms are present.
- Provide isolation guidance to the person who tested positive for COVID-19.
- Notify the school community of a positive case on campus.
- Determine the return date to campus for an individual who tests positive.
- Notify local health department of positive cases according to reporting protocols. Early identification of cases to ensure that a staff or student stays home and isolates is a critical component of an outbreak response.
- FWA may consider suspending high-risk activities to control a school-associated outbreak. FWA will work with the state and local health department in accordance with state and local regulations.