APS Reentry Guide for 2021-2022

If your child is under 12 years of age or has otherwise not yet been able to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you and your child can discuss best practices for wearing masks and engaging in physical distancing at school. If your child is immunocompromised, you should discuss the need for personal protective measures after vaccination with your child’s healthcare provider.

Masks should be worn indoors by all individuals in K-12 schools. Consistent and correct mask use by people who are not fully vaccinated is very important indoors and in crowded settings when physical distancing cannot be maintained.

When children (ages 2 years and older) consistently and correctly wear a mask, they protect others as well as themselves. Check out this resource from the CDC for tips on wearing masks correctly, and practice these tips with your child. 

Each family’s transportation needs are different, but it’s equally important that children’s school transportation is healthy and safe, whether that be public transportation, school buses, carpooling, or walking. Whatever mode of transportation you’re using in the fall, talk to your child about health and safety protocols to use to and from school. For example, per the CDC, wearing masks on school buses is mandatory, and the CDC recommends all students, educators, staff, and visitors wear masks indoors in K-12 schools. Make sure your child knows about masking policies and mitigation strategies to keep themselves and those around them healthy and safe. Additional topics to discuss can include refreshers on handwashing and sanitizing practices after taking public transportation or talking to fellow parents, families, and your children about keeping distance in carpools when possible.

The last 18 months have brought tremendous challenges to students, families, educators, and communities, which may result in new or different emotions and experiences in your child’s return to school. From the loss of loved ones to the responsibility of taking care of younger siblings or sick family members to adjusting to online or hybrid learning to missing face-to-face contact with peers and educators in classrooms and schools, these challenges can result in changes in your child’s academic, behavioral, or mental health needs.

The American Rescue Plan provides resources so that schools can ensure students – particularly those in communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic – have access to counselors and mental health services to address the traumas that children have faced and to create a strong foundation for academic success.

In the return to in-person school, it’s critical that children’s social and emotional development, mental and physical health, and academic needs are met. Speak with your child’s teachers and counselors early in the school year about your child’s strengths and needs across these areas.

For example, if your child has an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) or 504 Plan or receives other learning, mental health, or behavioral supports, make sure to speak with your child’s teacher about ensuring that your child continues to receive appropriate services in the upcoming school year. Consult with the IEP team and request a meeting to discuss changes, if necessary, in your child’s IEP. If you believe that your child has new needs that should be addressed, share those with your child’s teacher so that together, you and the IEP team can develop a revised IEP to help your child receive what they need to be successful.

Throughout the pandemic, you have been more involved than ever in your child’s daily education. You may have learned a lot about strategies for supporting your child’s learning. Talk with your child’s teacher about the things that seemed to work best and the ways to continue those practices during in-person learning.

Child care is crucial for so many families -- helping parents get back to work and bolstering the economic security of entire households. The Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Plan provides the largest Child Tax Credit ever and historic relief to the most working families ever. As of this month, most families are automatically receiving monthly payments of $250 or $300 per child.

If you didn’t make enough to be required to file taxes in 2020 or 2019, it is not too late to get Child Tax Credit payments -- just visit childtaxcredit.gov to sign up. These payments do not count as income for any family. So, signing up won’t affect your eligibility for other federal benefits like SNAP and WIC.