Family Checklist & FAQs

Class sizes will be comparable to last school year prior to school closure; RPS will incorporate distancing to the greatest extent possible.

Yes, every classroom and common area will have a wall-mounted hand sanitizer station. All bathrooms will have touchless paper towel dispensers and touchless soap dispensers.

Updated 7/19/21 - Yes, all RPS students, staff, and visitors must remain masked at all times per current RPS guidelines. Recent CDC guidance regarding easing of mask restrictions for vaccinated students and teachers is for the 2021-22 school year and the Virginia Executive Order 79 requiring masks to be worn by all individuals age 5 and older in public schools remains in effect. RPS will continue to mandate masks for the remainder of summer school and make further decisions based on local COVID-19 vaccination and infection data.

Yes, recess will be offered at all preschools and elementary schools. While outside on school property, students, teachers, staff, and visitors may remove their masks if fully vaccinated. If individuals are not fully vaccinated they must wear a mask unless they can maintain at least six feet of distance.

Masks may be removed while students are eating and drinking, however, masks must be worn by staff and students at all other times. Per normal, Student Nutrition Services protocol, staff are required to wear gloves when assisting students with meals. Hand sanitizing stations will be placed at all cafeteria entrances and food distribution areas. Meals may be offered in a combination of spaces (including the classroom and cafeteria) depending on school needs and configuration to align with any distancing guidance in place. Large waste receptacles will be placed outside of the classrooms along the hallway for discarding trash.

RPS will continue to monitor health trends to make determinations about allowing external partners in classrooms.

Parents, caregivers, and daycare provider van drivers will be required to wear masks when entering into any RPS facility.  

RPS will provide symptom checker information to all families to help families check for signs of illness each day. Symptoms include fever, respiratory symptoms such as nasal congestion and shortness of breath, and loss of taste and/or smell. If you are ever in doubt, please have your child stay home and call your doctor.

Families, students, and staff will be required to self-check at home before coming to school and remain home if sick. All visitors will be required to complete a symptom-check upon entry to buildings.

The student will be sent to the school nurse for further assessment. If needed, the student will wait in the school’s Supportive Care Space, available at each school to separate those with symptoms. Parents and caregivers will be notified to pick up any student who is sick as quickly as possible.

RPS will continue to work in collaboration with the Richmond City Health District (RCHD) to perform contact tracing of all positive cases. Classes/schools will be quarantined when advised by RCHD. In the event of a quarantine or closure, RPS will continue instruction virtually and students will be provided Chromebooks and hotspots as needed.

No one is required to receive the vaccine. However, to protect yourself and others, RPS encourages all staff, families, and students ages 12 and above to receive a vaccine as soon as possible.

Staff are not obligated to share their vaccination status, therefore we cannot guarantee that every staff member has been vaccinated.