COVID Mitigation Strategies at TQS

Dear Families:

Happy Spring! At last! On this last day before our Spring Break, I write to share an update about how our TQS community will operate for the balance of the school year in terms of COVID-19 mitigation protocols.

Based on the low incidence of COVID-19 cases in the region, we will no longer require community members and visitors to be masked or socially distanced while at school. In addition, we will no longer conduct contact tracing. Please note that if anyone in our community wishes to continue wearing a mask at school, we will absolutely support that decision and will continue to make masks available.

What we will be maintaining from our COVID protocols is frequent hand washing for students, faculty, and staff throughout the day. We will also continue to encourage anyone who is not yet vaccinated to get their full dose of shots. It is because of the very high vaccination rate among our community and the strong hand-washing practices we have adopted that we were able to reach this decision to remove the more restrictive, though necessary, protocols that we have all been living with for the last few years. In addition, from an environmental standpoint, our HVAC system continues to properly ventilate our indoor spaces, and we have added air purifiers in spaces as necessary. As has always been the case, if your student isn’t feeling well, they should not come to school; and please remember that if your student is absent for three, consecutive days, a doctor’s note is required upon their return to school.

I want to thank each and every one of you for working together with us as we have moved through a difficult few years. It’s been through the cooperation of this community that we have been able to focus, first and foremost, on the education of our kids while working to keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible.

As always, we will keep a close eye on guidance from the Montgomery County Office of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and we’ll continue to stay in touch with you for any necessary updates.

For now, I am grateful … and ready for all of the celebrations and milestones that our students will achieve in these next few months together.

Until next time,

Alex