Important Announcement

Dear Parents and or Guardians,

 

We hope you had a wonderful Winter Recess! As you may have noticed, today, Monday, January 3, 2022, there was confusion surrounding the COVID-19 protocols, in-home test kit information, and school closures we have in place for Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship Charter School. We would like to acknowledge your concerns and address them at this time. We also appreciate your patience, understanding, and continued support and for doing your part to keep our schools a safe place to learn and work.

 

 

❓ Question: Why was the Syracuse City Public School District closed today and Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship not closed?

▶ Answer: The SCSD was closed due to staffing shortages. Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship was not experiencing this issue and was properly staffed to welcome back students after the holiday break. At this time we plan to continue serving our children in our safe conducive learning environment by following our established safety protocols.

 

❓ Question: What should I do if my children were exposed to a positive person at a holiday party or just visiting relatives and friends but we were never contacted by the Health Department?

▶ Answer: The Health Department is asking that anyone that was exposed to a positive person self-report that they were within 6 feet of a positive person without their mask on for a total of 15 minutes or more in 24 hours or within 3 feet of a positive person with their mask on for a total of 15 minutes or more in 24 hours. If you and/or your children are fully vaccinated AND are experiencing NO COVID-19 symptoms, then you do not need to report that to anyone, but the NYSDOH wants you to monitor your health and the health of your children, and recommend you take a COVID-19 test 3-5 days after the exposure to the positive person. https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/quarantines-contacts

 

❓ Question: Can a person that has been deemed a close contact to someone who tested positive for the COVID-19 test out of their mandatory quarantine with a negative PCR test?

▶ Answer: No. A person that is deemed close contact cannot test out of their mandatory quarantine requirement.

 

❓ Question: Where and when can I pick up my “at-home rapid test kit(s)?”

▶ Answer: The New York State Department of Health is supplying all city Charter and Private Schools with these kits. As of today, we have not received this shipment from New York State. As soon as they arrive, we will be dispersing them as soon as possible to our parents. Please keep a lookout for information this week on this topic.

 

Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s school with any questions or concerns. These are very confusing and stressful times. We are here to help or assist in any way we can.

 

 

Please keep students that are experiencing and symptoms of COVID-19 home. This is the first line of defense against fighting this virus. Symptoms include; fever, cough, nasal congestion/ runny nose, fatigue, trouble breathing, chest pain, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and new loss of taste or smell. Please follow this flow chart created by the state whenever you are unsure about when to send your student to school: http://www.ongov.net/health/documents/ExposureVaxUnvax.pdf

 

Students exhibiting any of these symptoms during school will be excluded and require a negative COVID-19 test in order to return.

 

Citizenship Academy Administration and Health Services