COVID-19 Update

September 2024

As we enter a new school year, questions surrounding school restrictions on COVID-19 abound. 

Sudbury Public Schools are currently following the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) advisory on respiratory illness. In summation, for any respiratory-based illness, students and staff should remain out of school until:

-Fever-free for greater than 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication

-Improvement of symptoms to near baseline and able to control respiratory secretions

Upon returning to normal activities, precautions are recommended such as taking additional steps towards ensuring good respiratory hygiene (covering coughs, frequent hand sanitizing and disposing of used tissues), masking for 5 days after symptoms improve, and maintaining physical distancing indoors when possible.

The guidelines no longer indicate requiring testing for respiratory symptoms, as there are many respiratory viruses that can cause severe illness. Additionally, data from at-home testing can remain variable and inconsistent. Instead, the guidance is to practice universal strategies to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses.

School nurses are no longer formally tracking COVID-19 cases or requiring testing for symptoms or return from illness. However, they continuously monitor attendance and watch for patterns of contagious diseases within classrooms or the school.

The data maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) can be seen here on this dashboard. To note, this data does not reflect at home antigen tests as those are not entered into the DPH database.

We encourage families to always practice good health habits including staying home when sick, staying up to date with vaccinations, practicing good hygiene, getting fresh air and plenty of sleep.

Please reach out to your school nurse if there are any questions or concerns.