Bradley Hills Elementary School COVID-19 FAQS

Quick Links

What measures are in place to reduce transmission of COVID-19 at BHES?
What are the vaccination requirements for school staff and volunteers?
What happens if my student becomes sick at school?
What should I do if my student becomes sick at home?
What should I do if I find out my child was exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19?
What should I do if I am notified by the school or county that my student must quarantine?
What can we ALL do to help keep BHES safe and open?
I want to help advocate for COVID-19 safety measures at the county level. What can I do?

• Screening Tests

This year, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will offer random COVID-19 screening tests for BHES students in grades K through 5. A random sample of students in these grades will be identified and individually tested on a weekly basis with parental consent. Fully vetted and authorized contractors from CIAN Diagnostics, not MCPS staff, will administer the tests. Testing will not be “pooled,” unlike the procedures used during the 2020-21 school year.  Instead, parents will receive results for individual students. Parents will receive an email from CIAN Diagnostics if their child tests negative.  If a child tests positive, parents will receive a phone call. This individual screening test requires that families “opt-in” and provide affirmative consent for students to be tested. 

• Contact Tracing

When an MCPS student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, trained contact tracers will work with health officials to identify those who have had close contact and will follow up individually with them to provide quarantine instructions. Close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 for 15 minutes or more during a 24-hour time period, regardless of whether a mask was worn or not. Close contact can occur indoors or outdoors.

• Masking

All MCPS students, staff, and visitors are required to wear a mask inside the school building, regardless of vaccination status.

• Handwashing

BHES students are encouraged to wash hands frequently with soap and water.  Hand sanitizer is provided at each entry door and at the entrance to the cafeteria.

• Outdoor Lunch

BHES students eat lunch outdoors spaced apart on the tennis court when the weather permits. During inclement weather, students eat indoors in the cafeteria spaced apart and facing the same direction in the room.  Windows are opened to promote ventilation, and an air purifier from MCPS runs to clean the air. Two classrooms upstairs are also used for lunch to achieve additional  spacing during inclement weather.

• Physical distancing

MCPS uses pre-pandemic class size and spacing. Schools are encouraged to use outdoor spaces when possible. For example, Music class is held outside if students will be singing. Teachers are encouraged to hold snack time outside as well.

• Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality 

MCPS has: 

• Assessed all existing systems and equipment;

• Replaced all heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) filters, upgrading them to the highest Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) efficiency possible for improved air filtration;

• Increased fresh air ventilation in buildings;

• Purchased portable air cleaners for installation in the cafeteria, gym, school office, health room, and isolation room; and 

• Modified HVAC system operations to include an extended run time allowing the air in buildings to be “flushed” before and after the facility is occupied.

• Cleaning

MCPS building service staff regularly clean and disinfect all high-touch areas in MCPS facilities. Special attention is given to door handles, light switches, sink handles, and other high-touch surfaces. Restrooms are cleaned and disinfected more frequently.

• Triage/Isolation Room

BHES has a designated isolation and triage space in the health room for students who develop symptoms of COVID-19 while at school.

MCPS requires that employees submit proof of vaccination. Limited exceptions will be made for employees who provide documentation of and are approved for a medical exemption; these employees must participate in weekly testing. Volunteers must also be vaccinated. MCPS urges all eligible students to be vaccinated. 

Make sure everyone in your household who is eligible gets vaccinated! Encourage others to do the same.

A student who becomes sick at school will be taken to the health room. Health room staff will determine that a COVID-19 rapid (antigen) test should be administered when a student displays potential COVID-19 symptoms. Student participation in the rapid testing program requires parental consent. Health room staff will contact the student’s parent/guardian using the phone number that is identified in the student’s school records to obtain verbal consent for testing and request the student be picked up from school. After obtaining verbal consent for testing from the student’s parent/guardian, staff will have the parent/guardian sign the consent form when they arrive to pick up their student. Rapid (antigen) tests will be administered through nasal swabs, and results will be available within 15-20 minutes. 

A student who is sent home as a result of illness must not return to school until the student receives a negative COVID-19 test (antigen or PCR) and symptoms of illness resolve OR after ten (10) days have passed and symptoms have resolved (or the student presents a doctor’s note explaining the symptoms). 

Students who are sent home as a result of illness but who have not been notified by the school or DHHS to quarantine should report daily absences as a result of illness as in an ordinary school year. Such students are NOT eligible to attend school virtually via the BHES Quarantine Classroom.

A student who has any symptoms of illness at home should NOT attend school until the student receives a negative COVID-19 test (antigen or PCR) and symptoms of illness resolve, OR after ten (10) days have passed and symptoms have resolved (or the student presents a doctor’s note explaining the symptoms).

Students who are absent on account of illness but who have not been notified by the school or DHHS to quarantine should report daily absences as a result of illness as in an ordinary school year. Such students are NOT eligible to attend school virtually.

Students who experience symptoms of illness at home may not access COVID-19 testing at school. Rather, such students can access a free network of COVID-19 test facilities through the DHHS. 

A student who was exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 should contact BHES school administration.

Students who are notified by the school or county to quarantine will participate in the BHES Quarantine Classroom. When BHES receives notification that a student must quarantine, the school will prepare materials for the student and contact parents to make arrangements to pick up materials. These materials will include information about how to access the Quarantine Classroom. Live instruction in the Quarantine Classroom will be provided in reading and mathematics. All other work is completed independently. Instruction is usually provided by a paraeducator.

Consider following CDC guidance for families. Some specific recommendations include:

• If you are 12 years of age or older, get vaccinated to protect against COVID-19

• Wear masks when interacting with those outside your household, especially when indoors and on school grounds

• Maintain 6 feet of distance between yourself and those outside your household, especially when masks are off while eating or drinking

• Wash your hands with soap often (e.g., before eating or preparing food, before touching your face, after using the bathroom, after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing) or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol

• Opt-in to the MCPS COVID-19 Screening Program here

• Keep your student home if your student shows ANY sign of illness

• Pay special attention to signs of illness in your family. If you suspect one of your family members may be contagious, consider keeping your student home until all family members are healthy; and

• Immediately notify BHES administration of any known COVID-19 exposure or positive test result

• Follow CDC travel advisories for domestic and international travel. Get tested 3-5 days after returning home from travel with either an antigen or PCR test and monitor for symptoms of COVID-19

Contact BHES PTA Cluster Representatives Anne Reid and Laurel Keating for information on how to get involved in supporting the MCPS Five-Point Plan for further COVID-19 safety and mitigation from Interim Superintendent Dr. McKnight, which includes:

• Appoint an in-house health/medical officer for MCPS

• Establish a COVID-19 operations advisory committee

• Create a COVID-19 dashboard on the MCPS website

• Launch an outreach campaign (“Say Yes to the Test”) to increase the number of students who participate in COVID-19 screening testing

• Provide additional support (including some staff from central office) to help with schools’ COVID-19 response efforts