COVID-smart Measures

During Term 2 we will operate with a number of COVID-smart measures that have been developed with NSW Health to minimise transmission and keep schools open.

These key measures include:

rapid antigen testing (RAT) of students and staff who have COVID-19 symptoms or are identified as close contacts
maximising ventilation
encouraging regular hand washing and continuing enhanced cleaning of schools
assessing risk and applying appropriate safeguards across activities and events
learning from home where face-to-face learning is not possible.

In certain circumstances, NSW Health and the Department of Education may advise that certain COVID-smart measures be temporarily reintroduced at your school. Your principal will work with Health and the department and provide further details of any changes to COVID-smart measures at your school when required. These temporary measures may include:

ceasing large indoor gatherings

ceasing off-site and inter-school activities

mask wearing for adults and high school students

limiting visitors to schools

separating cohorts of students

symptomatic use of RATs

learning from home or remotely.

Close Contacts attending school

The announcement to ease the isolation requirements for close contacts was made on 20 April 2022. This will enable students and staff who are close contacts and have no symptoms to continue to attend school if they follow guidelines agreed with NSW Health. However, students and teachers who are in the support unit will need to self-isolate and will be supported to continue learning or working from home where possible.

Note that staff and students who have had confirmed COVID-19 in the last 12 weeks do not have to comply with the following guidelines if they become a household or close contact and are not required to self-isolate or test unless they develop new COVID-19 symptoms.

Close contacts attending school will need to adhere to the following in addition to the NSW Health guidelines:

They must notify the school (including their outside-of-school hours care provider) if they are intending to return under this provision.
They should conduct a daily RAT and return a negative result each morning before attending school for 5 school days.
Primary school students are recommended to wear a mask indoors (except when eating or exercising).
No student or staff member identified as a close contact will be permitted to participate in overnight excursions, including school camps.
Any visitor to a school site who is a close contact is required to advise the school that they are a close contact before they come on site. These visitors should conduct a daily RAT and return a negative result before attending. They must also wear a mask indoors at all times.

Testing

Staff and students cannot attend school if they are showing any symptoms of COVID-19.

If symptoms occur at any time, your child should not attend school and should undertake a rapid antigen test (RAT).

Additional delivery of RATs will be provided for students and staff who are identified as close contacts and are returning to school.

On Tuesday, 3rd May we will be sending the additional multipack of RAT kits home with students.

The RAT kits can be used for symptomatic testing or for daily testing as part of the close contact requirements. Note that students and staff in support classes who are identified as close contacts must not attend school and learn from home.

If a student is unwell and has any COVID-19 symptoms, they should always test for COVID-19.
If the test comes back negative for COVID-19, the student should still not return to school until either:
- The student no longer has any symptoms, or
- A medical certificate is provided to the school confirming that symptoms are explained by another diagnosis (such as hay fever)
It is important that students do not attend school if they are unwell, even if they have tested negative for COVID-19. Rapid antigen tests can produce false-negative results and symptoms of other illnesses can also be similar to COVID-19, including flu, the common cold, and stomach bugs. Health advice is that students who are sick should always stay home to rest and recover and avoid putting other students and staff at risk of getting sick.

It is recommended that students and staff that return to school after recovering from COVID-19 do not participate in rapid antigen testing for 12 weeks following release from self-isolation unless they develop new COVID-19 symptoms. This is due to NSW Health advice that people who have recovered from COVID-19 have a low risk of contracting it again in the following 12 weeks.

For positive COVID-19 cases

If there is a positive case in your child’s class, year or other grouping, your child can continue to attend school in line with NSW Health advice.

If a student or staff member receives a positive RAT test, they need to:

record the positive RAT result through the Service NSW website or Service NSW app – please add details of your child's school when prompted
notify the school of the positive RAT or PCR test result as soon as possible
follow NSW Health advice to isolate for 7 days.

Registering your child’s positive RAT with Service NSW is a requirement of the Public Health Order and helps NSW Health track COVID-19 in schools and address any public health issues early on if required.

Negative results do not need to be reported to Service NSW or to the school.

We will inform families when there is a positive case in the school and guide you on NSW Health advice, including monitoring for symptoms. Parents should expect regular communication.

For more information, including COVID-19 guidelines and fact sheets, refer to People who tested positive or were exposed to COVID-19.

Visitors on school grounds

Schools can invite visitors – including parents, carers and families – to their sites regardless of their vaccination status, in line with settings in the broader community.

Workers and volunteers must meet mandatory vaccination requirements including:

volunteers or staff operating uniform shops and canteens
visitors supporting school operations and curriculum delivery
allied health partners for the wellbeing of students
university and TAFE students attending school sites to complete their practicum or teacher training.

Masks

Masks are not mandatory for staff in primary schools.

In line with community settings, workers who support our students with disability in support units and some mainstream classrooms will be required to wear masks while working with students.

Masks are still required on school sites for anyone doing any of the following types of work:

NDIS services
ATSP services – drivers and Assisted Travel Support Officers
education and/or support of a student with a disability in a support unit including:
- school learning support officers (SLSOs)
- school counselling staff
- learning and support teachers
- early intervention staff
- itinerant support teachers
- assistant principals (hearing or vision)
- assistant principals learning and support
- support teachers transition
- classroom teachers
- allied health professionals engaged through the allied health pre-qualification scheme
- attendant carers engaged through third-party providers.

Staff and students will be supported to wear a mask if they choose to do so.

In line with the latest advice from NSW Health, masks are recommended for students and staff who have recovered from COVID-19, completed their 7-day isolation period and are no longer showing symptoms for an additional 3 days (from days 8 – 10 after receiving a positive COVID-19 result).

Additionally, mask-wearing is mandatory for staff returning to school as close contacts for 5 school days and recommended for primary school students returning to school as close contacts for 5 school days. Where students or staff are unable to wear a mask, they will be supported to learn or work remotely.

In certain circumstances, NSW Health and the Department of Education may advise that certain COVID-smart measures be temporarily reintroduced at your school. Your principal will work with Health and the department and provide further details of any changes to COVID-smart measures at your school when required.

VentilationVentilation

Fresh air is the most effective form of ventilation to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Where there is no natural ventilation, schools will use mechanical ventilation to maximise fresh airflow in learning spaces. Using outdoor spaces will continue to be encouraged.

As we move into the colder months, heating will be used in conjunction with windows and doors remaining slightly open to continue to allow natural ventilation. Using outdoor spaces will continue to be encouraged where possible.

Hygiene and cleaning

Students and staff are encouraged to wash their hands regularly with soap and water.

Schools will continue to use enhanced cleaning processes. Target areas include high-touch areas, hard surfaces, door handles, lockers, light switches, and handrails in stairways and areas where students and staff move through regularly.

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