KSD does have at-home antigen testing kits available at each school location.  For King County COVID-19 testing sites, please visit King County's COVID-19 Testing webpage. 

DOH does not recommend the use of masks with exhalation valves or vents, or single layer bandanas and gaiters, therefore these are not permissible in KSD for students or staff if masks are required . (DOH Mask Info)

A mask or face covering is anything that completely covers your mouth and nose, and fits securely on the sides of your face and under your chin. It should be made of two or more layers of tightly-woven fabric with ties or straps that go around your head or behind your ears. More protective coverings, such as masks or respirators may be required in the workplace. 

Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends strategies to improve mask fitting to more effectively slow the spread of COVID-19. These strategies include wearing a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask, knotting the ear loops of a medical procedure mask, using a mask fitter, or using a nylon covering over a mask.

Masks are not currently required.  But are required through day 10, if returning on day 6 from isolation and may be required in certain situations such as classroom outbreaks.

In general, close contact is defined by:

• Been within 6 feet (2 meters) of a person confirmed to have COVID-19 for a combined total of 15 minutes or more within 24 hours.
• Live in the same household as a person with COVID-19
• Cared for a person with COVID-19
• Been in direct contact with saliva or other body secretions from a person with COVID-19 (for example: been coughed on, kissed, shared utensils, etc.)
• In a K-12 indoor classroom setting, the close contact definition excludes students who were at least 3 feet away from an infected student when
• Both students were wearing face coverings/masks AND
• Other prevention strategies were in place

Currently students and staff are not required to quarantine but rather watch for symptoms and isolate if symptoms develop or tests positive for COVID-19.

• Staff and Families will be notified by phone, letter, and/or email of the classroom closure
• Teachers will provide at home work as necessary
• Classroom closures will typically last 5 days or less

What to do if your student has a positive COVID-19 test result:

1. Keep your student home from school
2. Notify your school. After you notify your school, the school staff will notify the KSD contact tracing team.

• The school contact tracing team or staff will contact the student's family with a positive COVID-19 test to collect information about the student (e.g., possible exposure or potential symptoms) and determine when the student can return to school.
• KSD tells families when there is a positive case in their student's classroom and/or school.

3. Work with the school contact tracing team or school staff to determine the next steps.

• The KSD contact tracing team will contact the student's family directly via phone or email with confirmed COVID if the student is symptomatic or asymptomatic and determine when the student can return to school.
• KSD Requires:
  
  • Any student or staff member with COVID-19 should isolate at home. This isolation guidance applies regardless of vaccination status. If a student or staff member tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a molecular or antigen test, they can return to school when the following criteria are met:
    •  5 days* have passed since symptom onset, or since positive test specimen collection date if no symptoms are present (*note: people who are severely ill or severely immunocompromised may need to isolate for up to 20 days);
    • AND No symptoms are present, or symptoms are resolving;
    • AND No fever within the past 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.
    • Students and staff should continue monitoring for symptoms and wearing a well-fitting mask around others through day 10 (days 6-10) both in and out of school, including during extracurricular and sports activities. Individuals who have been in isolation may test on day 5 or 6 of their isolation period, but only if the above criteria for completing isolation have been met. An antigen test is recommended.
    • If the test result is positive, they must continue to isolate until day 10. If the test result is negative, they may return to school and should continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others at home and in public until day 10.
    • Staff who test positive for COVID-19, or parents/guardians of students who test positive for COVID-19, should notify the school immediately upon receipt of the test results.
    • This enables the recommended exclusion of the staff or student from school for the duration of their isolation period and notification of the LHJ. 

(From King County Public Health) No. There are not currently any established metrics or thresholds upon which the state would recommend a return to remote learning. However, the Department of Health has stated that “the trajectory of disease prevalence in our state or nation may require changes in our state’s response efforts and DOH will periodically update their guidance to reflect currently accepted safety requirements.”

Positive COVID-19 cases will be supported by our principals, trained nursing team, and COVID site coordinators at each school. 

School and district leaders work together by engaging with Public Health, managing contact tracing, and providing communication to close contacts, staff, and working with our Communications Team to update our website and share with the school community as needed through our COVID-19 dashboard.

Reporting a Positive COVID Case

• Families must report a positive case in their student to their teacher, principal, or school nurse
• School nurses/contact tracer/school staff will follow up with the student/family for symptoms and contact information
• A student or staff member who has possibly been exposed will be contacted by the school via phone call, email, or letter 

When will you be notified of COVID Case in Your School

• Families will be notified by phone, letter, and/or email if there is a positive case in your classroom
• Anyone can check our COVID-19 Dashboard for current classroom or school closure information. 

Closure of a classroom after consultation with Public Health will be considered when:

• Five or more students or staff (or 20%) in the same room/area test positive for COVID-19
• The cases have symptoms that start within 7 days of each other
• The cases are not associated with one another in another setting (household, club, etc.)

If a school is directed to temporarily close in response to COVID-19 transmission, then:

• Staff and Families will be notified by phone, letter, and/or email of the classroom closure

No, the COVID-19 vaccination is not required for students or staff at this time. 

The COVID-19 Vaccine is the strongest protective measure against COVID-19 available to individuals.

If your child is eligible under Section 504, your child has a right to periodic re-evaluations, including re-evaluations before any significant change is made in your child’s placement. Learn more about Section 504. 

If your student has a major health concern or life-threatening disease which may require emergency care/medications or affect his/her learning abilities or school participation, please consult with your school. Learn more about Health Services. 

In-person staff meetings are allowed. Throughout the year, principals can have remote meetings if they feel it is most beneficial.

Assemblies are allowed and options for kids who do not feel comfortable attending a large assembly should be provided. It is recommended to have multiple assemblies to keep the assembly size small.

All KSD schools will maximize opportunities to increase physical space between students during all scheduled activities. 

Please read the KSD Athletic COVID Guidelines.

Anyone with a 100.4 F or higher fever should not go to or stay at any Kent School District site. KSD staff and students with any illness must stay home. 

Do you or your child have any of the following symptoms not caused by another condition within the last day? 

• Fever (100.4 F ) or chills 
• Cough 
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing 
• Fatigue 
• Muscle or body aches 
• Headache 
• Recent loss of smell or taste 
• Sore throat 
• Congestion or runny nose 
• Nausea or vomiting 
• Diarrhea  
• Have you had a positive COVID-19 test for active virus in the past 10 days, or are you awaiting results of a COVID-19 test? 

If a KSD student or staff member answers yes to any of the above questions, they do not board the school bus or enter their school building.  

Please stay home and notify your school of your absence and contact your healthcare provider. 

People with COVID symptoms should stay home until they have the results of their testing.

Yes. Our KSD families speak more than 130 languages. We use interpreting services and translation tools to communicate with our diverse community. 

1. We use a telephonic interpreting service.  
2. We arrange for a district interpreter upon request.  
3. We distribute information on our district and school websites which can be quickly translated into more than 100 languages. 
4. We distribute information on our district's app, which can be automatically translated into more than 70 languages. 

We recognize the limitations of the translation tools used by some of our platforms and applications. When we have time for professional translators to translate and/or review our documents and communication, we prefer this method. However, this is not always possible at the school or district level.  
Additionally, we work with our community partners to conduct listening sessions and answer frequently asked questions via interpreters upon request and special initiatives.  

Overnight camps for KSD students must be approved in alignment with Board Policy 2152 and Procedure 2152P and Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Guidelines. 

According to Washington State Camp operators must follow CDC Guidance for Operating Youth Camps and Washington State guidelines.

KSD is currently offering outdoor education programs that do not involve overnight stays.