UPDATE 3/22/2022
Masks
Use of masks indoors and outdoors will become optional in the State of Hawaii after March 25th. The Hawaii Department of Health in its latest guidance for schools states, "As we have learned more about COVID-19 and schools, it has become apparent that schools are not, as initially anticipated, amplifiers of COVID-19 transmission. Although COVID-19 clusters have occurred in school settings, multiple studies have shown that transmission rates within school settings are typically lower than or similar to community transmission levels when multiple layered prevention strategies are in place." The Hawaii Department of Health continues to recommend the wearing of masks when in classrooms since the COVID-19 coronavirus is still present and vaccination levels, especially at the K-8 grade levels, is rather low. The use of masks while indoors in our preschool is still required by the Hawaii Department of Human Services except during active eating and napping.
If community transmission levels of COVID-19 return to a "high" status, mandatory use of masks indoors will be reinstated. Parents may request that their child(ren) continue to wear masks while in class.
If community transmission levels of COVID-19 return to a "high" status, mandatory use of masks indoors will be reinstated. Parents may request that their child(ren) continue to wear masks while in class.
Vaccinations
The Hawaii State Department of Health and the Hawaii Catholic Schools continue to recommend and encourage vaccinations for students ages 5 and above. Vaccinations for students remain voluntary and not required for in-person attendance.
COVID Exposure and Infections
If your child is feeling sick or displaying any concerning symptoms, please keep them home. Refer to the updated DOH Interim Isolation and Quarantine for K-12 Schools, which provides details regarding exposures, infections, close contacts, and quarantine protocols. Please note that the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Hawaii Department of Health have recently updated the quarantine time to five days (instead of 10 days).
The Department of Human Services, which licenses preschools, still mandates a 10-day quarantine for students in preschool if they are infected by COVID-19 or exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
Absences Due to Sickness or Exposure
1. DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILD(REN) TO COME TO SCHOOL IF THEY HAVE ANY CONCERNING SYMPTOMS, including fever above 100°F, coughing, difficulty breathing, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, diarrhea, or vomiting.
2. Please inform the school office or your child's homeroom teacher and keep your child home if your child is sick, has any concerning symptoms, or tests positive for COVID-19. Teachers may provide guidance to parents on any school work that can be completed at home during prolonged absences.
A doctor's note is required to return to school for students who are out sick. A copy of a COVID-19 test can be submitted in lieu of a doctor's note. The test must either show a negative result within the last 48 hours, or a positive result from at least five days prior, but the student must be afebrile for at least 24 hours without the use of any fever-reducing medicines. While at-home "rapid" antigen tests are considered reliable, it is difficult to tell when the test was administered, so pictures of at-home tests will not be accepted by the school at this time.
3. If a child is unvaccinated and was exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, please notify the school and have the student quarantine for a minimum of five days. If an unvaccinated child lives with a COVID-19 positive person, the child is required to quarantine while the infected person is in isolation plus five days after the person is released from isolation. Vaccinated students do not need to quarantine and may attend school if they are not displaying any concerning symptoms.
4. Students must have no concerning symptoms regardless of vaccination status and quarantine/isolation time in order to return to school unless a doctor's note is provided.
The Department of Human Services, which licenses preschools, still mandates a 10-day quarantine for students in preschool if they are infected by COVID-19 or exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
Absences Due to Sickness or Exposure
1. DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILD(REN) TO COME TO SCHOOL IF THEY HAVE ANY CONCERNING SYMPTOMS, including fever above 100°F, coughing, difficulty breathing, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, diarrhea, or vomiting.
2. Please inform the school office or your child's homeroom teacher and keep your child home if your child is sick, has any concerning symptoms, or tests positive for COVID-19. Teachers may provide guidance to parents on any school work that can be completed at home during prolonged absences.
A doctor's note is required to return to school for students who are out sick. A copy of a COVID-19 test can be submitted in lieu of a doctor's note. The test must either show a negative result within the last 48 hours, or a positive result from at least five days prior, but the student must be afebrile for at least 24 hours without the use of any fever-reducing medicines. While at-home "rapid" antigen tests are considered reliable, it is difficult to tell when the test was administered, so pictures of at-home tests will not be accepted by the school at this time.
3. If a child is unvaccinated and was exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, please notify the school and have the student quarantine for a minimum of five days. If an unvaccinated child lives with a COVID-19 positive person, the child is required to quarantine while the infected person is in isolation plus five days after the person is released from isolation. Vaccinated students do not need to quarantine and may attend school if they are not displaying any concerning symptoms.
4. Students must have no concerning symptoms regardless of vaccination status and quarantine/isolation time in order to return to school unless a doctor's note is provided.
Notification of Close Contacts
If a student is on campus and later tests positive for COVID-19, parents of any students who would be considered close contacts will be notified by the school. Close contacts are identified as students who have been in close proximity (less than three feet) of an infected student for a period of 15 minutes or more.
For more guidance related to the COVID-19 pandemic, please refer to the Hawaii Department of Health COVID-19 Portal.
For more guidance related to the COVID-19 pandemic, please refer to the Hawaii Department of Health COVID-19 Portal.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: