Masks, Distancing Rules: New Guidance For RI Schools

PROVIDENCE, RI — The upcoming school year will look a lot different from the last, Rhode Island state leaders announced Wednesday. Masking requirements will be different, along with loosened requirements for capacity, distancing and group stability.

"One of our team’s top priorities has been getting students safely and fully back into the classroom this fall," Gov. Dan McKee said. "That’s why we worked hard to quickly vaccinate our teachers and school staff and it’s why we’re laser-focused on getting students vaccinated over the summer."

McKee went on to say that the new guidance, "coupled with strong vaccination rates put Rhode Island in a good place to ensure our students can be back in school where they learn best."

New Guidance

Under the new guidance, masking requirements can be dropped for students who are fully vaccinated. School districts are strongly encouraged to require masks for students who are not yet vaccinated, especially those under 12 years old who are not yet eligible to get the vaccine at this time. Fully vaccinated teachers and staff can go without a mask, as well, and masks are not required outdoors, following current Rhode Island policy.

Another major change applies to distance learning. School districts will no longer be required to offer distance learning options to students, though they must have plans in place for short-term distance learning in the case of a quarantine or illness. Schools will have the flexibility to develop their own plans for distance learning as needed for certain groups, as well as to use distance learning in place of a traditional snow day if they choose. The Rhode Island Department of Education encouraged families of students with special health care needs or who live with someone at high risk of COVID-19 to reach out to their district to develop an individualized learning plan.

In the school setting, stable groups of students will be encouraged, but not as strictly enforced as the previous year. Physical distancing will not be required for stable groups or in groups of students who are eligible to get vaccinated. In door settings, RIDE encouraged schools to maintain 3-foot spacing for non-stable groups of elementary schoolers and those are not yet able to get a vaccine. As was the case last year, outdoor eating and learning are still encouraged, along with set seating charts in classrooms and on buses.

When it comes to transportation, capacity limits will not be in place on school buses. Following the federal public transit mandate, masks will be required while on buses until further notice.

Field trips will be allowed to resume in the coming year, as long as safety protocols are put in place, such as keeping groups stable with those of the classroom.

Quarantine

Under the new guidance, schools are encouraged to follow the protocol of seven days with testing, which aims to keep students and families safe while disrupting learning as little as possible. A student identified as a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19 will be allowed to come back to school on the eighth day if they test negative. Longer quarantines may be required in certain circumstances, following the recommendations of the Department of Health.

Who counts as a "close contact" will be determined on a case-by-case basis, the department said. For example, if one member of a stable pod with no physical distancing tests positive, the entire pod will likely have to quarantine. However, that may not be the case for a larger, outdoor setting such as recess. Students who are fully vaccinated will not be required to quarantine if physical distancing was maintained.

Vaccination rates

Throughout the summer months, state leaders are working to get as many students who are eligible a COVID-19 vaccine before the start of the new year.

To date, nearly 90 percent of teachers and staff are fully vaccinated. About 60 percent of students aged 16 to 18 are fully vaccinated, along with 40 percent of those aged 12 to 15.

Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green said "it is crucial that we accelerate learning across the state, and we know there is no substitute for in-person learning."

"In partnership with our incredible superintendents, school leaders, teachers, support staff and public health officials, we look forward to welcoming all students back to the classroom in the fall," Infante-Green said. "Rhode Island led the way in distance learning and safely transitioned to the classroom in the midst of a pandemic, and we will continue our collaboration to keep students safe and help them grow as we work to move past COVID-19."

Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, said the state will continue to work with schools to ensure a safe school year, as well as continue the work to get as many eligible Rhode Islanders vaccinated as soon as possible.

"The deliberate, science-based approach we are taking to the return to in-person learning in the fall will help us give every student in every ZIP code in Rhode Island an opportunity to thrive in the classroom,"Alexander-Scott said. "Building on a year and a half of unprecedented partnership, we are going to be providing school communities with on-going support and making sure that families and eligible students have every opportunity to get vaccinated against COVID-19 between now and the first day of school."

Read more about the new guidance on Rhode Island's school reopening website, which will be updated throughout the summer.