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Health Measures for the 2022-23 School Year

Posted 7/25/2022
En Español

As we prepare for the school year, I want to outline the health measures that we will have in place. Although there is still transmission of COVID-19, we are not seeing the high levels of hospitalizations and severe illness that we were throughout the pandemic. Thankfully, we will have fully in-person learning and we will continue to focus on safety, consistency and stability in our learning environments. 

Please note that if conditions change, we will update our health measures accordingly. As always, we will continue to keep you updated via email, automated phone calls and our website at aurorak12.org. If you have not already done so, please be sure to check-in your student for the upcoming school year and keep your contact information updated via the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.  

Masking is Not Required at Schools, APS Sites and on Buses
​​​​​​​Masks will not be required at schools, APS sites and on buses. However, those who prefer to wear their masks are encouraged and welcome to do so.

5-Day Isolation Still Required for Individuals who Test Positive
All students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 will continue to be required to isolate at home and stay away from others for five days. Upon returning to school, those individuals will be required to wear their masks at school for the following five days after their isolation. 

Continue to Stay Home if You Develop Symptoms of COVID-19
In addition, please continue to keep your child at home if they develop symptoms. We are asking all students and staff to continue daily self assessments. If your student develops any of the symptoms below, keep them home and get your student tested for COVID-19. Tests are available through your local healthcare provider, many pharmacies and there is testing information available on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment website. APS staff should follow this same practice. Please notify your child’s school that your student is experiencing symptoms and do not send them to school. Staff should notify their supervisors and stay home.

Symptoms of COVID-19 may include: 

  • New or unexplained persistent cough 
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing 
  • Loss of taste and smell
  • Feeling Feverish, having chills or a temperature of 100.4 or greater
  • Sore Throat
  • Runny nose or congestion
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • Fatigue

Vaccinations Required for Staff and Strongly Encouraged for All Students
COVID-19 vaccination is a requirement for all Aurora Public Schools staff. Staff must either be fully vaccinated by the start of the school year or should have an exemption approved through the Division of Human Resources. Staff with a vaccination exemption are no longer required to test for COVID-19 on a regular basis and no longer required to wear a mask in the work setting.

All students are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated before the start of the school year. Anyone 6 months and older are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Aurora Public Schools has partnerships with several public health organizations to provide vaccine clinics at schools regularly throughout the district. 

Read all APS Messages and Information Related to COVID-19

COVID-19 Tracking

COVID-19 Tracking

Aurora Public Schools discontinued its COVID-19 tracker on July 1, 2022. As a reminder, all COVIDCheck Colorado testing sites closed on June 30. Please note that you can still get tested through your local healthcare provider and pharmacies. Information on additional testing sites is also available on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's website.

Lessons Learned

 

The COVID-19 pandemic forced school districts across the country and world to abruptly change their traditional school learning models. APS worked quickly to transition all students to remote learning and to provide as much support and stability as possible for students, staff and families. Throughout the global health crisis, APS sought to listen, engage and learn from our stakeholders while also basing health and safety decisions on the latest science and guidance from our public health agencies. 

Below are some of our major lessons learned. While this is certainly not an exhaustive list, it is a starting point for many conversations that we need to continue to have about how to best serve the APS community in recovering from the pandemic. We are using our many engagement efforts to determine our lessons learned as well as how to strategically deploy dollars from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER). As school districts receive ESSER funding, they are required to utilize robust community engagement in their plans for spending. These dollars will be critical to our recovery over the next three years. We hope to continue to learn from you and engage with you, our partners in ensuring that every APS student shapes a successful future.

Click the document below to view it live or download it here.