D.C. Public Schools will require every student and staff member to submit a negative COVID-19 test result before they return to classrooms later this month, one of the few COVID-19 precautions in place as the system starts another pandemic school year.

Students in kindergarten through 12th grade will need to submit a negative result through the school system’s online portal on Sunday, Aug. 28, before the first day of school on Monday, Aug. 29.  Students in pre-school will need to submit their results on Aug. 31, before they return to classrooms on Sept. 1.

It’s the second time DCPS will undertake a massive testing campaign. In January this year, as the omicron variant drove cases to record-breaking levels, school officials required tests before students could return to classrooms after winter break. Nearly 50,000 students and staff members submitted results in accordance with a policy, a logistical feat described as “truly remarkable,” at the time by DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee.

Families can pick up at-home tests at one of the city’s COVID Centers located in each ward, a D.C. Public Library distribution center, or at their school during the following dates and hours:

• Tuesday, August 23: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, August 24: 12:00 to 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday, August 25: 12:00 to 5:30 p.m.
• Friday, August 26: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

For the first time, students ages 12 and older will also be required have a COVID-19 vaccination at the start of this school year, in accordance with a new law passed in 2021. The bill added the coronavirus vaccine to the list of routine childhood vaccinations that the city regularly requires in order for a student to attend school. Younger students are currently exempt from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, as it only applies to vaccines that have been granted full approval — not just emergency authorization — by the Food and Drug Administration. As of Aug. 18, 83% of the city’s children ages 12-15 have completed a two-dose series of the vaccine, and 77% of 16-17 year-olds, according to DC Health data.

If a student does not provide proof of up-to-date vaccinations within 20 days of the start of school, they will not be allowed to attend class, per the city’s law; although it remains to be seen how exactly the city will enforce the regulation, given that roughly 25% of children across the District are behind on immunizations.

DCPS dropped its mask mandate in March this year, and students won’t be required to wear one this fall. The school system’s COVID-19 protocol website does not currently include any guidance for quarantine, isolation, or classroom shutdowns — a hallmark of the 2021-2022 school year during the omicron surge. (Councilmembers and teachers frequently criticized the school system this past winter for its lack of transparency around what metrics or benchmarks would trigger a classroom to shut down.) DCPS’ current posture mirrors that of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the agency recently amended its COVID guidance to remove the recommendation that individuals quarantine after exposure to the virus, and eliminate the “test to stay” strategy for schools, which allowed exposed students to remain in school so long as they continued to test negative.

Regionally, Prince George’s County Public Schools is the only school system that has announced a mandatory indoor mask policy for the upcoming school year.