Category Archives: COVID-19

ACPS COVID-19 Testing Begins

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COVID Testing Signage

In partnership with GENETWORx, Albemarle County Public Schools is making COVID-19 testing available to all employees. In compliance with the Albemarle County School Board’s resolution (August 12, 2021), all employees who indicated that they are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, and those who declined to identify their vaccination status on the Staff Vaccination Status Form are required to test weekly. The first test for employees who are required to test must be completed by Friday, September 24. Fully vaccinated employees may also utilize ACPS testing sites.

Click here for all of the details, including information about COVID-19 testing through ACPS, scheduling your test, testing locations and schedules, what to do if your vaccination status changes, division protocols for testing and compliance, and more. Please email vaccine@k12albemarle.org with questions.

Update on Sept. 15 Vaccination/Testing Requirements; Complete Staff Vaccination Status Form by Sept. 3

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health professional holding COVID-19 vaccine

As a reminder, the Albemarle County School Board recently approved a resolution that requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 15, 2021, or to show proof each week of a negative COVID-19 test result. In the resolution, the school board noted that the COVID-19 case incidence rate in Albemarle County is increasing, largely driven by the presence of the Delta variant, and health data confirms that over 90% of current cases are among unvaccinated people.

By Friday, September 3, all ACPS employees are required to complete an online Staff Vaccination Status Form. You can access this brief form directly at vaccine.k12albemarle.org (ACPS login required). Every employee should enter their current vaccination status information into this form by tomorrow, September 3, regardless of vaccination status. (If you have difficulty accessing the survey, please email vaccine@k12albemarle.org.) Continue reading →

Info Session on COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies: Join Us on Aug. 18

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COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies 2021-22 School Year

Wednesday, August 18, 2021 | 6:30 p.m. | Zoom

All employees are invited to join a community information forum devoted to the school division’s COVID-19 mitigation strategies. The session will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 18, over the Zoom platform. We encourage you to take this opportunity to ask questions about the safety measures we are implementing for the 2021-22 school year. The link to join the session will be posted in the Spotlight section of the ACPS homepage. Continue reading →

COVID-19 Update: To Meet Health Emergency, Employees Must be Vaccinated or Tested Beginning Sept. 15

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health professional holding COVID-19 vaccine

At their meeting yesterday evening, the Albemarle County School Board adopted a resolution that aligns the school division with an Emergency Order issued by County Executive Jeff Richardson on Wednesday. The resolution requires all employees to either be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus or to show proof each week of a negative test for the virus. The requirement will go into effect Wednesday, September 15, for all local government and school division employees. Continue reading →

Effective August 9, Masks Required for All Employees When Indoors

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Face Mask Required Sticker

Beginning Monday, August 9, all ACPS employees, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear a face mask when inside a school or school division office. Previously, masks were not required in schools or offices if a person was fully vaccinated and students were not present. This new requirement is based on updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which recently recommended that masks be worn by anyone inside a school, regardless of vaccination status, in communities where there is substantial or high transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Continue reading →

School Board Will Vote This Evening on Changes to the Division’s Face Mask Policy

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teacher and students wearing protective face masks in the classroom

At midnight on June 30, Governor Ralph Northam’s declared state of emergency for the Commonwealth expired, relaxing several of the public health requirements associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Among those provisions was the wearing of face masks in public settings.

In anticipation of this action and following significant declines in the spread of the virus in our community, the Albemarle County School Board reviewed several updates to our mask wearing policy during their June 10 business meeting. Those updates and additional revisions will come up for a vote during the board meeting this evening, Thursday, July 8. Continue reading →

Changes to Our COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies

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COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies Update

In response to a steadily declining number of COVID-19 cases in our community, Albemarle County Public Schools is reevaluating our health and safety practices and policies in consultation with local health officials. Beginning this week, we will implement some changes to our health mitigation strategies for summer programming and operations. Please keep reading for details about how those changes will impact our COVID-19 screening tools, temperature checks, notifications, social distancing, transportation, and our mask policy. Continue reading →

Mask Policy Reminder

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Face Mask Required Sticker

Dear Colleagues,

As you may have heard, earlier this month, Governor Ralph Northam lifted Virginia’s indoor mask mandate to align with new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This updated guidance, detailed in Executive Order Seventy-Two (effective May 14) and Executive Order Seventy-Nine (effective May 28), continues to require masks to be worn in K-12 public schools by all students, teachers, staff and visitors, regardless of vaccination status. 

In partnership with our local health department and area physicians, Albemarle County Public Schools will continue to enforce our Policy on Masks and Acceptable Face Coverings through at least the end of the 2020-21 school year. Continue reading →