Mayor Bowser and DCPS Remind Families to Take and Submit COVID-19 Tests Before Returning to School | mayormb – Executive Office of the Mayor

Washington, DCToday,Mayor Muriel Bowserand DC Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Lewis Ferebeereminded DCPSfamilies that all students and staff will need to provide proof of a negativeCOVID-19test result before the start of the 2022-2023 School Year.DCPS K-12families mustadminister their students test and upload theirtest results toDCPSstrong.com/testingon Sunday, August 28.Pre-Kfamiliesmust administertheir students test and upload their test results on Wednesday, August 31.

We are excited to welcome our students, families, and staff back to school for this critically important school year,said Mayor Bowser.A strong school year starts with a strong first day, and weare grateful to families for once again helping us ensure a safeand healthyreturn to school.

This month, the Office of the State Superintendent for Education (OSSE) also distributed antigen tests kits to all public charter local education agencies (LEAs) in the District to facilitate participation in test to return. Each LEA received enough tests for every student, teacher, and staff member.

To start the school year strong, DCPS families will need to:

DCPS families may choose to utilize their own antigen or PCR test results,but tests administered beforeSunday, August 28for K-12 students and before Wednesday, August 31 for Pre-K students will not be accepted.

DCPS families should report their childs results by:

Our commitment at DC Public Schools is to foster a safe environment for our students to learn, grow and thrive, said Chancellor Ferebee. We appreciate the partnership of our familiesand staff in taking this important step as we all work together to start the school year strong.

Update and Submit Your Immunization RecordsDistrict law requires students in all DC schools including private, parochial,and independent schools, to be fully compliant with required vaccinations to attend school, and that schools verifyimmunization certification for allstudents aspart of enrollment and attendance.Families can download the Universal Health Certificate and the DC Oral Health Assessment Formhere.

TheCoronavirus Immunization of School Students and Early Childhood Workers Amendment Act of 2021,which the Council passed in 2021,requires students ages 12 and older to be vaccinated againstCOVID-19in order to attend school. Families can access free vaccinations at a local COVID Center. Finda scheduleatcoronavirus.dc.gov/COVIDCenters.

The best place for DC families to access required childhood immunizations is through their primary medical provider.However, DC Health and its partners are also offering special vaccination opportunitiesacross the District.These include:

For the latest schedules and locations of these clinics, as well aspediatric clinic locations, visitdchealth.dc.gov/immunizations.

To learn more, please visitDCPSstrong.com.

Social Media:Mayor Bowser Twitter:@MayorBowserMayor Bowser Instagram:@Mayor_BowserMayor Bowser Facebook:facebook.com/MayorMurielBowserMayor Bowser YouTube:https://www.bit.ly/eomvideos

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Mayor Bowser and DCPS Remind Families to Take and Submit COVID-19 Tests Before Returning to School | mayormb - Executive Office of the Mayor