Dear Francis Scott Key Middle School Community:

This letter is to inform you that three (3) eighth-grade students, two (2) female students, and one (1) male student tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) since last Friday, December 17. The first female student tested positive on Saturday, December 18. Her family notified the school today, Monday, December 20. She was last present in school on Thursday, December 16. The second female student tested positive on Friday, December 17. Her family notified one of our staff members on Friday, December 17 by email. Unfortunately, the staff member was on leave and did not receive the email until the weekend. Consequently, the staff member did not notify the administration until December 19. The second student was last present in school on Thursday, December 16. The final male student tested positive on Saturday, December 18. His family notified the school today, Monday, December 20. The third student was last present in school on Thursday, December 16.  

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 about quarantining and monitoring for symptoms, per CDC guidelines.  

Per the 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 connections. 

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. Instead, you should contact your healthcare provider and test your child for COVID-19. Likewise, 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 the 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.  

We appreciate your cooperation to maintain a safe and healthy school environment.