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Fairfield Area School District is looking for three part-time Learning Support Aides to support students at the elementary school. If interested please click the link below to apply.
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January 3, 2022
Parents, Guardians, and Staff of the Fairfield Area School District;
The Fairfield Health and Safety Plan approved December 8, 2021 by the School Board will need to be revised to address how the new CDC recommendations to shorten isolation and quarantine periods will be incorporated into our FASD plan. Also, the school district is awaiting guidance from both the PA Departments of Health and Education regarding these CDC recommendations. The current number of positive COVID cases our Adams County and Fairfield communities are experiencing would suggest we should not rush to expose more students and staff to the risk of infection from COVID.
Our approved Health and Safety Plan provided options for parents regarding the masking requirements when their children were COVID negative. A significant number of children are not wearing a mask from this parental option. From a public health perspective, it is best-practice to have students exposed or who tested COVID positive, to wear a mask. The current PA DOH/DOE recommendations are to wear a mask for 14 days after exposure, 10 days after testing positive.
It is my recommendation, and supported by the school nurse, that we use this week to review the impact of holiday travel and public interaction on our children, to determine the SAFEST path forward. On January 10, the Board will collectively discuss any potential revisions to our December 8, 2021 Health and Safety Plan.
Any parent or guardian concerned their child may be exposed to COVID at school, may request to receive instruction at home during a brief period of time without being considered absent from school. Please email your request to the appropriate building principal and the procedures for remote learning (via SeeSaw, Schoology, or paper copies) will be addressed with the individual parent/guardian.
Thank you for helping the school district provide a safe in-person learning experience for our students and a safe working environment for our staff.
In service to the FASD,
Dr. Larry R. Redding, Interim SuperintendentMasking Information December 8, 2021Dear Parents, Guardians and Members of the Fairfield Area School District Community,
Providing a healthy and safe learning environment for the students in the Fairfield Area School District continues to be our primary objective. One significant way we can reduce the spread of contagious diseases is to strongly support the wearing of face masks inside our school buildings and on our school buses and vans.
Upon the lifting of a state mandated requirement to wear face masks, the Fairfield Area School Board has approved the continued wearing of face masks while the Adams County COVID transmission rate is at the Extremely High and High levels. Parental options have also been approved by the FASD School Board to sign and complete the “Facial Covering/Masking Exclusion Form” to exempt their child from this requirement. The form will be posted on the school district website with instructions on the process for submitting an exemption when the state mandate is lifted.
Additionally, by action of the FASD School Board, all visitors to our schools are required to wear a face mask while the Adams County transmission rate is at the Extremely High and High levels. When the transmission rate falls to Moderate or Low, wearing a mask by visitors would be optional when the number of attendees at an indoor event is below 75% capacity for that venue (ie. Auditorium, Gymnasium); over 75% capacity within a venue will require masking. Attendees to indoor events will also be asked to provide a phone number for future reference in the event that a positive COVID case results from attendance during a school event.
Parental options for quarantine and isolations have also been approved by the FASD School Board. When exposure to a positive COVID individual occurs at school, parents will be notified of the exposure and will be given the recommendation to quarantine their child(ren). Parents will have the option to quarantine or not quarantine their child(ren). These students will be permitted to continue to attend school as long as they are symptom free. If any COVID symptoms develop within 14 days of exposure, students will be required to quarantine/isolate for a period of time decided by the school nurse, depending on the individual circumstances. If exposure is due to events outside of school and/or within the student’s home, CDC guidelines will be followed.
For additional specific protocols and procedures, consult the building principals or the school nurse. Additional information is updated on our website.
These requirements remain in effect until amended by FASD School Board action and/or by actions from local, state or federal authorities deemed necessary.
The best learning environment for our students is in-person learning and these decisions by the FASD School Board provide a documented path for students to remain healthy and safe during periods of high transmission of the COVID viruses. We greatly appreciate the efforts of all members of our community to reduce transmission and choose to become vaccinated against this and all communicable diseases.
In Service,
Dr. Larry R. Redding
Interim Superintendent
Members of the Fairfield Area School District Community:
The timing of the Department of Health’s order requiring masks in schools is unfortunate, creating undue stress for schools already facing unprecedented challenges in opening school this year. The FASD board has been in constant communication with the Administration and our Solicitor to understand issues the community and the Board have raised. The message from the community, to return students to full-time, in-person, learning has remained our top priority as a board. This priority does not come without challenges. Our goal is to ensure students attend in-person, safely, and with minimal disruptions to their routine caused by illness and/or quarantine of students and staff. We are unified in following the new law with constant focus on achieving and maintaining in-person learning for all students. As was stated upon the approval of FASD’s health and safety plan, we move forward with the understanding that the State of Pennsylvania may enact new guidelines and restrictions based on their data. We fully respect and understand the vastly different viewpoints on this mandate, and that state level mandates remain in the hands of the state. Rest assured; our goal is to keep your children learning inside our buildings.
Respectfully,Fairfield Area School BoardMask Mandate DocumentsFASD Health & Safety Plan (2021 & beyond)
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