Dear MCPS Community,

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is making changes to the COVID-19 contact tracing process in schools to align with the recommendations of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), universal contact tracing is no longer necessary in schools and childcare programs.

While the virus continues to affect people in our community and across the nation, this change is possible because of the important work we have all undertaken to follow health guidelines, including vaccinations, that mitigate and minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Effective May 2, 2022:

• MCPS will no longer identify or individually notify individuals who are in close contact with students or staff members who test positive for COVID-19.

• Messages will be sent out at the classroom, grade or school level as appropriate to inform the community of positive cases at individual schools.

• Daily cases by school will continue to be reported on the COVID-19 Dashboard.

We continue to work in collaboration with our county health partners and, in the event of an identified COVID-19 outbreak, we will conduct contact tracing and inform the school community of additional mitigation strategies, which may include mask-wearing and PCR or rapid testing on-site or at home. We will monitor the number of cases and adjust our strategy to ensure the health and safety of students, staff and communities. 

Montgomery County Public Schools