By Kevin Perez
Miami Dade County Public Schools officially reopened its doors to its approximate 356,086 students on Monday, August 23rd. For many students, this is their first time being on school grounds since early 2020 and it will certainly look different.
Prior to the schools reopening, the school board agreed on new COVID-19 guidelines, among the most notable changes was the quarantine process. Instead of a whole class having to quarantine if a student, teacher or staff member tests positive like last year, only those with a prolonged exposure to that person would have to quarantine. This move now leads to mandatory seating charts in every classroom as well as teachers having to keep track of small groups formed in each of their classes.
The quarantine length is not the only change. On Wednesday, the district announced the different guidelines for those individuals who are fully vaccinated and those who are not. For non-vaccinated individuals the quarantine period is currently 10 days. If asymptomatic, those individuals can end their quarantine after 10 days and return to school without testing.
For vaccinated individuals, they do not have to be quarantined if they are asymptomatic and two weeks have passed from receiving a single dose vaccine or the second dose in a two dose vaccination series. They also must remain asymptomatic after their current COVID-19 exposure and not reside in a group home. If all of the criteria is not met, the vaccinated individual then falls under the same protocols for non-vaccinated individuals.
Upon a return from school, all students and staff should continue to follow the current COVID-19 protocols which are not limited to, wearing a mask, social distancing, continuously washing their hands and following one directional signs.
The district is still mandating masks for all students, employees, parents and staff that are on school grounds and school busses as well. This order defies Governor Ron Desantis ban on masks mandate even after he threatened to stop school district funding. Dade County is now one of 10 Florida school districts alongside Broward and Palm Beach County, to mandate masks for the 2021-2022 school year.
