D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee has laid out the system’s approach to social distancing and quarantining for the new school year.
Pre-kindergarten and adult-education students should maintain six feet of distance, while students in kindergarten through 12th grades should stay three feet apart, the DCPS chief said during a Tuesday news conference, WTOP reported.
In the event of necessary contact tracing for a positive coronavirus case, 15 minutes or more spent in proximity would be considered a “close contact,” WTOP reported.
Ferebee said the guidance on social distancing and quarantining for the school year, which starts Aug. 30, will be affected by whether students are wearing form-fitting masks and the air circulation in buildings, saying upgrades are being made to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
Ferebee said there is no permanent plan to offer virtual learning for students who have a physician’s note allowing them to skip in-person instruction, but plans are still in formation on virtual instruction for youngsters who are being quarantined.
The chancellor said the Washington Teachers’ Union is involved in the discussion on quarantining and virtual instruction, WTOP reported.
