January 28, 2022
Dear Students, Parents and Staff,
As a reminder, The Rhode Island Department of Health guidance on shortening quarantine and isolation periods was issued on 1/6/22 – RIDOH Memorandum. We have adopted these new standards effective Tuesday, 1/11/22.
Fortunately, we are starting to see a decline in the number of positive cases. It is our hope that as everyone continues to follow these protocols, we will continue to see these numbers decrease.
As always, if your child develops symptoms of illness please keep him/her home. If your child has symptoms of COVID-19 please keep him/her home and have him/her tested. Visit Portal RI to find a testing site and make an appointment. You can also call 844-857-1814 to schedule an appointment.
Quarantine (If a Close Contact or after Travel)
If your child is identified as a close contact to a positive COVID-19 case:
Unvaccinated Students – may continue to attend school, (wearing a well fitting mask, not a cloth mask), but must be closely monitored for symptoms for the next 5 days (“monitor and stay”). If symptoms develop or your child tests positive, then he/she will be sent home to quarantine/isolate.
Vaccinated Students – are exempt from quarantine unless symptoms develop.
If your child is identified as a close contact to a positive COVID-19 case and lives within the same household of the positive case:
Unvaccinated Students – must stay home during the positive case’s 5 day isolation period and continue to quarantine for 5 additional days (total of 10 days). If symptoms develop or your child tests positive, then additional quarantine/isolation days will apply.
Vaccinated Students – are exempt from quarantine unless symptoms develop.
Isolation
Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, should stay home and isolate for 5 days. Students who test positive:
- May return to school on Day 6 if they are asymptomatic or symptoms have improved
- Should continue to isolate until their symptoms have improved
When determining if your child can return to school please consider the following:
- Has he/she been fever free (without fever reducing medication) for 24 hours?
- Can he/she control his/her secretions?
- Has your child’s cough improved?
Please contact your child’s school principal or nurse if you have any questions.
Covid-19 Testing in the Schools – Voluntary
Our school district offers voluntary weekly COVID-19 testing to help schools stay safer against the risk of COVID-19. If your student has recently tested positive for COVID-19 they do not need to participate in the weekly testing for 90 days. Once your child has had a positive Covid-19 test result their Concentric account will be deactivated. After the 90 days you can sign your child back up with the link below or by contacting the Covid Department at nancy.gamache@cumberlandschools.org.
Please remember this is entirely voluntary and no students will be tested unless you opt in and the student is registered by a parent or guardian.
To opt into the program, please visit the following site with the access code for your school:
https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/minor-consent
School: BF Norton – ACCESS CODE: BFNORTON
School: Ashton – ACCESS CODE: ASHTONELEM
School: Community – ACCESS CODE: 352X09
School: Garvin – ACCESS CODE: GARVINELEM
School: Cumberland HIll – ACCESS CODE: CUMBHILLELEM
School: North Cumberland Middle – ACCESS CODE: NORTHCUMBERLANDMIDDLE
School: McCourt Middle – ACCESS CODE: MCCOURTMIDDLE
School: CUMBERLAND HIGH SCHOOL: CUMBHS
Chromebooks for Grade 5 Students
We are excited to provide our 5th grade students with a new Chromebook and now include them in our district 1:1 program. This means each 5th grade student will be able to pick up a new device following the pick up schedule that will be provided by your school principal. Your child is expected to bring their charged Chromebook to school everyday. This device will be assigned to your child and they will continue with this same device into middle school.
These are new Chromebooks, so it is important that your child takes responsibility and keeps their device in good working condition. Insurance can be purchased for these devices to cover any accidental damage. It is recommended that families purchase this insurance. Otherwise, you may need to pay out of pocket for any damages or repairs needed (depending on the issue).
The Chromebook Agreement can be found here.
The Elementary Insurance Information can be found here.
The weather forecast is calling for blizzard conditions on Saturday.
All school buildings will be closed this weekend – no activities or events.
Stay warm and stay safe.
Sincerely,
Philip D. Thornton, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools