Compass Families,

Happy New Year! As we welcome students back into our classrooms after a well-deserved winter break, our highest priority continues to be the health and safety of our Compass community. To this end, our safety protocols will remain intact as we head into the spring semester – we are taking precautions to fight COVID on every front through vaccinations, regular COVID testing at every Compass campus, social distancing measures, hand washing and mask wearing!

We know that nothing is more important to you than keeping your children in school – learning in healthy and safe environments. Families across the city are doing all they can to keep communities safe from the Omicron variant:

• • Vaccinations: Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself, your family and your community from the virus. The available vaccines are free, safe and highly effective against severe illness and hospitalization due to COVID-19, including from the Omicron variant. The vaccine for children ages 5-17 has been through rigorous testing and thorough review by the FDA and CDC. If your child has not been vaccinated, please talk to your child’s pediatrician and consider having your child vaccinated.

• Masks: Wearing masks allows us to keep others safe. Masks are a simple barrier to help prevent germs from reaching others. Please make sure your child is wearing his or her mask to school daily, even if he or she is vaccinated!

• Testing: If your child is experiencing symptoms, please get him or her tested before entering your school’s building, and communicate with your school if your child is exposed or tests positive. 

As an extra layer of safety, Compass provides on site, asymptomatic testing for staff and students every two weeks. Knowing those in the building are COVID free provides peace of mind and keeps us all safer. If you have not yet signed your child up for the COVID testing at your school, please fill out these forms.

• Personal Data Link (must be first): covid.poplarhealthcare.com/s/addSchoolMember?RRAccount=0014R000039DJLy

• Consent link (must be done second): https://hipaa.jotform.com/poplarhealthcare/compass-community-patient-auth

Our network’s safety protocols aim to keep students in our classrooms with the least amount of disruption as possible, while putting their safety front and center. If you have any questions about the upcoming school year, please contact your school’s office. I look forward to a wonderful spring semester with you all!

Sincerely,

Kristi Baird

Executive Director of Compass Community Schools