Dear School Community,

On Friday afternoon, the CDC made changes to its guidance, especially as it pertains to masking. The CDC guidance now states, "effective February 25, 2022, CDC does not require wearing of masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early care and education/child care programs." As a result of this change, masks are encouraged but not required on Garnet Valley School District transportation.

I realize that we've had a lot of change in the last week, but we want to take advantage of these opportunities to normalize our schools as much as safely possible. 

Have a great week!

Dr. Marc Bertrando, Superintendent

Dear School Community,

This evening the Garnet Valley Board of Directors unanimously voted to revise the district’s health plan. Beginning tomorrow, the district will recommend but will not require employees, students, and visitors to wear masks inside school buildings. Per federal mandate, masks will still be required when students are riding to and from school and/or on school-based activities on district buses. Mitigation measures such as distancing, hygiene, symptom screening, and others will continue. We will also maintain our practice of reporting cases to the PA DOH. As we have stated throughout the pandemic, if you are experiencing symptoms or not feeling well, please stay home.

Despite the conflict that masking has caused during the pandemic, our schools have run very smoothly with few masking-related issues. I want to thank our entire community for keeping these polarized feelings outside of our schools and allowing our students and teachers to focus on teaching and learning. We fully expect that our district’s safe and caring culture will continue as folks make appropriate decisions for themselves and their families. 

Our employees will also make personal decisions regarding masking. As a leadership group, we will make sure that our actions reflect the differences in our school community. Some of us will wear our masks while others will not, so that regardless of their decisions, all students will feel comfortable within our schools. We will be clear with those within our schools that no one should criticize, challenge, or mock others about their choices. We appreciate your support in reinforcing our approach with your children.

The tables below can offer insight into the data we have used and continue to use as we monitor the virus within our school community. It is important to note that the clinic will close due to a lack of need (only 22 tests last week), and all testing will be done within our buildings. Going forward, along with monitoring our school data, we will meet with our medical consultants and interpret and consider guidance and recommendations from the PA DOH and CDC.

Table 1: Delaware County Transmission Rates–CDC COVID Tracker (To access the Tracker CLICK HERE)

Table 2: District Case Counts–GVSD COVID Tracker (To access the District Tracker CLICK HERE)

Thank you for your support and cooperation!

Sincerely,

Dr. Marc Bertrando, Superintendent