Updated July 26, 2023
The goal is to open schools as safely as possible given the many known and established benefits of in-person education. Schools must adopt and implement actions to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the schools and the community. Every school should have a well-established plan to protect staff, children, and their families from the spread of COVID-19.
| View the Department's COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidance for School Year 2023-24.
Mitigation strategies that reduce the spread of COVID-19:
- Stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations
- Stay home when sick
- Masking
- Hand hygiene & respiratory etiquette
- Ventilation
- Testing
- Cleaning & Disinfection
- ‘Ohana bubbles or cohorting
- Avoid crowding
The emphasis is on flexibility and layering these strategies to contain transmission.
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Athletics
View the Department's latest guidance for athletics.
Ventilation
The Department has made significant investments to improve indoor air quality to mitigate the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in public schools. This includes purchasing air purifiers, carbon dioxide monitors and box fans for schools, as well as issuing a policy to schools in July 2020 on opening windows and proper use of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
The Department is working with schools to assess ventilation quality in classrooms to determine if additional resources are needed to increase air exchange. Learn more
here.
For information on enhancing classroom ventilation by use of box fans and carbon dioxide sensors, see here.
