Dear LCS Families- Today I reiterated that in order to keep all students safe and to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our schools and classrooms, we are temporarily requiring all students, Pre-K to grade 8, to wear face masks while indoors and on buses. For our 9 - 12th grade students who have the opportunity to get vaccinated, masks are strongly encouraged. We will require masks for both Pre-K-grade 8 students and district employees until September 6, Labor Day, when the mask requirement will be readdressed. If this temporary requirement is an issue for you and your child because of health concerns, you will need to submit a medical opt-out form. Please provide the form to your licensed physician or psychologist to complete and sign, and return it to your child's school by Monday, August 16. The medical opt-out form can be found here: https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2f%2f%2fwww.leonschools.net%2fmedicaloptout&c=E,1,cjhNj0djNij1HKIMmb7sirPt4L7SPU_WpMEAMijqiqH8DlRR6Xr5iQJaNl55uBB2YHa54eL1p-iFKnBMjQNyRjc2qcWNKmB5amjog9rmq95qby1HMUI_&typo=1<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.leonschools.net%2Fmedicaloptout&data=04%7C01%7C%7Ca2b93aeede2f4b45e5af08d95bf5882b%7C69292adba72a4537aa24d67a6f5642bc%7C0%7C0%7C637641932385239588%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=4ngDysCLwt7ZV%2BkjkY2i0CqNZe3I0wTlZzHgDUt5aTg%3D&reserved=0> and is attached to this e-mail. Further mitigation measures were also shared with school communities today: * Pre-K-8th grade is closed to visitors, volunteers, and mentors during the school day until September 6, Labor Day, when procedures will be readdressed. * There will be no field trips for Pre-K-8th grade until September 6, Labor Day, when procedures will be readdressed. In addition, there are several Florida Department of Health changes to the school COVID quarantine protocols, with the main changes highlighted below: If a student is exposed to a positive case * Anyone fully vaccinated, or that has tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 90 days, will NOT NEED to self-isolate or quarantine. * Anyone not fully vaccinated, must quarantine: 7 days from date of exposure; if asymptomatic, the student can return on Day 8 OR 4 days from date of exposure; if asymptomatic, the student can test on Day 5 (Rapid or PCR) and return immediately with a negative test result (test must show the student name). Our schools will continue to urge families to keep students home if they are sick, encourage routine hand washing, implement social distancing when possible, and will continue to clean and sanitize classrooms and high-traffic areas. For the LCS School Health Plan and the most-up-to-date information on quarantine protocols, visit https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2f%2f%2fwww.leonschools.net%2finclass&c=E,1,4eNsFQx6qVcLZYLnqUz4VUgDLG1VRThr_pAPmzXXUnQjc001uM-DZNtY1azKzdTu4qqWUVng7rPMXl-LjDYqhfi9VLCYut_1In9hU8zXh6cUHVY,&typo=1<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.leonschools.net%2Finclass&data=04%7C01%7C%7Ca2b93aeede2f4b45e5af08d95bf5882b%7C69292adba72a4537aa24d67a6f5642bc%7C0%7C0%7C637641932385239588%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=qDiNA6qZBx%2Buba02Qv6TeixH7QksZJa%2F5JcEyrFt5os%3D&reserved=0>. We look forward to seeing our students In Class on Wednesday, August 11. Sincerely, Rocky Hanna Superintendent ________________________________ *SUNSHINE LAW AND PUBLIC RECORDS CAUTION: Florida has a very broad Public Records Law. Virtually all written communications to or from School Board of Leon County, Florida Personnel are public records available to the public and media upon request. E-mail sent or received on the LCSB system will be considered public and will only be withheld from disclosure if deemed confidential pursuant to State Law. Individual student records are deemed confidential.