Health Guidance and Testing
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Will staff have access to testing?
DPS is partnering with Denver-based Gary Community Investments to provide access to free COVID-19 testing and support to all of Team DPS as we work to safely and gradually welcome all students back into schools, when health conditions allow.
COVIDCheck Colorado is a social-benefit enterprise of Gary Community Investments, and our partnership will provide all staff access to fast and accurate COVID-19 testing, symptom tracking, and tools to support public health department contact-tracing efforts. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, our overriding priority has been and will continue to be the health and safety of our students and staff. We are committed to providing the safest environment possible for the DPS community. The COVID-19 testing, combined with symptom-tracking tools, will help us manage potential outbreaks before they start and quickly provide support to anyone who tests positive for the virus.
Visit this page for more information.
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Will DPS be providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff?
DPS has purchased masks, face shields, thermometers, gloves, hand sanitizer and disinfectant spray to help maintain a safe environment and prepare for the return to school. We’ll make sure schools receive Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), based on key information like the number of students enrolled, the number of teaching stations it has, and other details. PPE will be delivered to the schools by the end of July, and we will continue to monitor throughout the year to ensure schools have what they need to maintain a safe environment.
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If I have traveled out of Colorado, will I have to quarantine for 14 days?
At this time, there are no mandated travel based quarantines in the state of Colorado. This CDPHE site should be provided to all families so that they can review it as needed.
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What protocols are in place for contact tracing in the district?
We are working closely with the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment and we have a strong process in place for reporting infectious diseases, such as COVID, and will continue to work with those in the health department so that the health department can contact trace as needed to help ensure the health and safety of our staff and students are maintained.
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What are current expectations for staff meetings/trainings, etc.?
Planning meetings, team meetings, professional development etc. must be conducted virtually to minimize the potential for COVID-19 to spread across school staff. Any informal gatherings of adults must follow public health guidelines that will be regularly updated here.
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Will educators need to quarantine if their own children who attend other schools are exposed to COVID?
Team members will follow the CDPHE guidelines for quarantine and isolation. Isolation or self-isolation applies to people who:
- Have a positive COVID-19 test.
- Have symptoms of COVID-19 (coughing, shortness of breath and/or fever).
- Are getting ill and think they might have COVID-19. Symptoms, especially early on, may be mild and feel like a common cold. Symptoms could include a combination of cough, body aches, fatigue, and chest tightness. Some people may not develop fever or fever may not appear until several days into the illness.
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What happens when there is a positive test in a cohort and the teacher has been interacting with multiple cohorts?
If a student or staff tests positive, the cohort and all cohorts that have mixed with that cohort will need to move to remote-learning for 14 days.