School Year 23-24 Covid Protocol
As the public health emergency is lifted, COVID-19 is now treated the same as any other communicable disease. We are sharing the following reminders for your reference:
COVID Testing: DCPS will not conduct COVID tests at school. COVID tests are not required to return to school this year.
COVID Contact Tracing: No contact tracing will occur.
Testing Positive for COVID:
Staff who test positive for COVID-19 should alert their school leader and follow guidance from their health provider.
Students who test positive should follow up with their health provider for guidance and the family should alert the school of their absence (in accordance with normal absence reporting requirements).
Masks:
Mask-wearing is optional, and schools should support individual decisions to mask for health reasons.
For individuals who test positive for COVID: A mask should be worn through the 10th day from a positive test or onset of COVID symptoms.
Notifications: No notifications (classroom, staff, or school-wide) will be sent for COVID-positive cases.
Student Dress Code Policy
The following clothing items are not permitted in Ellington’s professional educational environment:
No bare midriffs or chest, halter tops, tank tops, backless tops, spaghetti straps, corsets, strapless tops, lingerie, or beachwear.
No transparent or low-cut outfits.
No exposed undergarments. Appropriate undergarments must be worn throughout the entire school day.
No exceptionally tight clothing.
Any garments worn shorter than 4 ½ inches above the knee shall be conclusively deemed to be too short.
Dresses or skirts with slits 4 ½ inches above the knee will not be permitted.
Distressed and ripped pants or shorts must have tights or shorts underneath to cover bare skin above the level permitted for shorts and skirts.
No bandanas, baseball caps, bonnets, du-rags, scarves, or shower caps in the building at any time. Head wraps are acceptable.
No combs in hair.
No clothing or accessories displaying slogans or logos referencing violence, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, profanity, derogatory language, etc.
No heavy chains, wallet chains, jewelry with spikes or studs, or accessories with the intent of causing offense or inciting violence or other prohibited behaviors.
Failure to adhere to the dress code may result in disciplinary action. You can read the full policy below.
Attendance Policy for SY23-24
An excuse note must be submitted to the attendance office by the student’s parent or guardian prior to the absence or within five (5) school days after the student’s return to school for an absence/tardy to be excused. We understand that mental health struggles are something serious to handle and work through; however, DCPS attendance policy doesn’t allow our attendance office to excuse any absences for “Mental Health Days.” If your student isn’t feeling well enough to attend school or experiencing symptoms of discomfort, please refer to the absence as an illness for it to be excused.
Please make sure to submit an early dismissal request(s) to our attendance office by 10:00 a.m. in order for us to prepare and notify all involved parties.
Early dismissal requests are acknowledged sooner via email. Please avoid sending requests via hard copy. If you require your student to be promptly released, please contact the school via phone so that we may prepare a permit and notify all involved parties. In addition, please notify the attendance team of the early departure so that we may mark the attendance accurately. Medical documentation; shot records, diagnosis, lab results, etc. should be forwarded/sent to the school nurse.