Freire Charter School Wilmington

The power to build your future

2021-22 COVID-19 & Back to School Resources

Updated August 27, 2021

Full In-Person Learning Will Resume for the 2021-22 School Year

When the new school year begins in August 2021, we are excited to announce that we plan to be 100% in-person, discontinuing our virtual learning programs. All students will learn in-person Monday through Friday following a regular full-day schedule.

Parents, students, and staff who have been learning and working in the building during hybrid and over the summer have commented about how safe they feel. And, our entire Freire Schools team is committed to ensuring that the school day structure and our safety protocols support a safe return to school for all our kids this fall.

COVID Measures Update

Starting with our first day of school on Monday, August 30th, our COVID-19 health and safety plan includes the following:

  • A 100% mask requirement for all students and staff in the schools regardless of vaccination status. This is in line with CDC guidance to protect everyone from the Delta variant.
  • Social distancing as much as space in the schools and feasibility will allow.
  • Daily sanitization of  doorknobs, elevator buttons, and bathroom fixtures.
  • Thermal imaging stations as students enter their buildings.
  • Use of MERV 13 filters and ionizers in our buildings’ HVAC systems.

One key finding we have learned from the data and guidance available is that vaccination is the best way to protect ourselves from COVID-19. This is especially true with the highly transmissible Delta variant.

  • You should have received a COVID vaccination survey via email. We ask for your help in completing it so that we have accurate records as to your child’s vaccination status.
  • We will provide regular COVID testing to unvaccinated staff and students.
  • We will provide COVID tests to any staff or students who develop COVID-like symptoms during the day.
  • COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated or symptomatic students is of critical importance to keep everyone in the school community safe. Your partnership as a parent is essential to this process. You will be receiving an electronic consent for the school to provide COVID-19 testing for your student and we ask that you please support the safety of our community by completing this consent form.

Further details about COVID testing will be provided shortly. In the meanwhile, we strongly encourage families to consider vaccination for all students 12 years of age and older. This is the best way we can keep all of our students safe, minimize the need for COVID testing, and ensure that our school can stay open throughout this school year.

As we did when we first welcomed students back for our hybrid program last spring, we are sharing a screening questionnaire for parents and students to review daily before school (linked here). We ask for your support in ensuring that students experiencing COVID symptoms please remain home until their symptoms subside or they have a negative COVID test. 

Even with the best of health and safety protocols, we know that it is possible that a student or staff member will test positive for COVID-19. In the case of a confirmed positive case, we will notify all staff, students, and family members by email. Any student or staff member testing positive will stay at home for at least 10 days, after which point they may return to school once they are fever free without fever-reducing medicine and their other symptoms are improving.

Your child’s safety is our first priority.  As we learned last year, the recommendations around COVID safety change regularly. These are the health and safety measures that we intend to start the school year with but please know that we will continually review the latest guidance from the CDC, Delaware Division of Public Health, and CHOP Policy Lab, and we will communicate any changes to our practices with you.

Additional Vaccine Info

On Monday, May 10, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer vaccine to include anyone ages 12 and older.

We know that children are not immune to COVID-19, but it is a vaccine-preventable disease just like measles, mumps and other childhood diseases. We strongly encourage you to consider vaccinating your child to protect them, your family, and our school community, especially with the Delta variant on the rise. In the vaccine trial for students aged 12-15, there was 100% efficacy and no reported serious side effects.

You can get more information and find vaccination opportunities by clicking here. Please note: written parental consent is required to vaccinate individuals younger than 18 years old in Delaware, however the parent is not required to be on site with the child during the vaccination.

Communication

It is critical that we are able to communicate easily with both students and parents in order to share important updates and information. We are committed to working in partnership with our families, as allies, to provide the best education possible to your students. If your contact information changes at any time during the school year, please notify Ms. Katie (katie.pollard@freirewilmington.org).

In addition to email and phone communications, please follow the directions below to receive class specific and schoolwide text messages and updates via the Remind app:

  • 8th Grade: Text “@fcsw2026” to the number 81010
  • 9th Grade: Text “@fcsw2025” to the number 81010
  • 10th Grade: Text “@fcsw2024” to the number 81010
  • 11th Grade: Text “@fcsw2023” to the number 81010
  • 12th Grade: Text “@fcsw2022” to the number 81010

You can also choose to download the Remind app on a mobile device and “join a class” by using the code for your student’s grade.

Please check your email regularly for important updates and information from Freire Wilmington! If you are not currently signed up for Freire’s weekly newsletter emails, please click here to sign up.

Additional COVID-19 Resources

You can find an active count of the reported cases in DE, as well as up-to-date information on how the Division of Public Health is responding to this health crisis here: https://coronavirus.delaware.gov/

The Delaware Division of Public Health has opened a call center to take questions from the public, schools, medical providers, state agencies and community organizations. Hours of operation will be 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The call center number is 1-866-408-1899. Individuals can also submit email questions to DPHCall@delaware.gov.

Additional Resources for Families