Dear Cedar Grove Elementary School Community,

This letter is to inform you that we have recently learned of three new cases of COVID-19 in our school community. The cases are:

A student in third grade who was last present at Cedar Grove on December 15, 2021, and tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on December 16, 2021.  We were notified on December 16, 2021, of the positive test result.  
A staff member who works in multiple grades who was last present on December 15, 2021 and tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on December 15, 2021.  We were notified on December 15, 2021, of that positive test result. 
A second staff member who also works in multiple grade levels who was last present on December 14, 2021, and tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on December 16, 2021. We were notified on December 16, 2021, of that positive result.

Following Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) guidelines, we notified individuals who were known to have close contact with this individual and have informed them to quarantine and monitor for symptoms, per CDC guidelines. 

Per current DHHS guidance and our contact tracing process, unless you are notified directly, your child does not need to quarantine as they were not in close contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19.  Please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/contact-tracing/contact-tracing-plan/appendix.html#contact for additional information on how the CDC, MCPS and DHHS, defines and identifies close contacts.

We encourage you to closely monitor your child for symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, cough, headache, and shortness of breath. If your child develops any of these symptoms, do not send them to school. You should contact your healthcare provider and have your child tested for COVID-19. Please contact the school if your child develops COVID-19-like symptoms. Students who develop symptoms, or test positive for COVID-19, will not be able to return to the building until they are medically cleared.

As a reminder, here are the steps that we can all take to keep ourselves, families, and school community safe:

Get vaccinated when eligible
Wear a mask, or appropriate face covering, at all times when in school and other public spaces.
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, especially before and after eating.
Cover your cough and/or sneeze and immediately wash your hands for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer.
Stay home if you are sick or have any COVID-19 symptoms.

Please visit  https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/coronavirus and https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/ for additional information on COVID-19 resources, including free COVID-19 testing and COVID-19 vaccination sites.