September 24, 2021

Dear Teaneck Parents & Guardians,

In our continued efforts to manage through this pandemic, I want to share the following important updates with you:

1.) Updated CDC Guidelines on Direct Contacts: The Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has updated their guidelines regarding “direct/close contacts” (defined as being within 6 feet of someone with suspected or known COVID-19 for 15 or more minutes during a 24-hour period). They have recently announced an exception for the K–12 indoor classroom settings whereby the direct/close contact definition “excludes students who were within 3 to 6 feet of a positive student where both the infected student and the exposed student(s) correctly and consistently wore well-fitting masks the entire time. This exception, however, does not apply to teachers, staff, or other adults in the indoor classroom setting.”
Since opening schools, it is clear that our students are adhering to the mask mandate put in place by the State. I want to thank our parents and staff for being so diligent in this important initiative which, with the change in guidelines, will now enable us to greatly limit who will need to quarantine in the event of a classroom exposure. We will evaluate preschool situations on a case by case basis. As we move forward, it will be critical for everyone to continue being diligent in wearing well-fitting masks or we may have to once again revisit this in our protocols.
NOTE: Although our quarantine protocols have changed, the district will continue to send notifications to families when there is a positive case within your child’s class. There are times when we are informed late at night which means that such notification may not occur until the next day.
2.) Voluntary Vaccination Information: If your child has been vaccinated and you share a photo or PDF file of their vaccination card with your school nurse, then under current NJ Department of Health & CDC guidelines, your child will not need to quarantine if a COVID case arises. You can upload this information here: https://sites.google.com/teaneckschools.org/wellness (please select the appropriate school - one form per vaccinated child is needed - and note that it will take approximately 10-14 days for us to verify this information with a healthcare professional. The school nurse will keep this information with your child’s confidential records).
3.) Free Lunch: If your child is required to quarantine, they are still eligible to receive a free lunch! These lunches will be made available at our Benjamin Franklin Middle School from 1:30 - 2:15 pm (side cafeteria on Taft Road).
4.) Check Emails Regularly: If there is a positive COVID case in your child’s class or program, important information will be sent to your home email address. Therefore, we request that you check your email accounts frequently.
5.) Back to School Nights: Out of an abundance of caution, our Back to School Nights have been moved to a virtual setting. You can view the full list of dates/times here:

https://www.teaneckschools.org/BacktoSchoolNights.aspx . Your child’s school will provide the meeting information.
6.) Remote Instruction: If your child needs to quarantine, they will receive remote/virtual instruction and, if applicable, any IEP based related services. For more information on remote instruction guidelines for students who are quarantined, please visit: Remote Learning Guidelines.

It is critical that we are all doing our part to keep our children safe and in their respective educational environments. Please do not send your child to school if they are sick; and if one child in your home tests positive for COVID-19, then every unvaccinated child in your home must stay home.

For more information on our COVID protocols, please visit the COVID-19 section of our website: COVID-19 Resources.

Thank you for your continued patience and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Dr. Christopher Irving, Superintendent of Schools