Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Lewis Ferebee announced that DCPS will require all students and staff to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result before returning to school on Wednesday, January 5. DCPS will make free rapid antigen tests available on Monday, January 3, and Tuesday, January 4. DCPS families must upload their child’s negative test results to dcps.dc.gov/safereturn by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 4.

DCPS families will need to:

• Pick up an iHealth rapid antigen test from a DCPS school or a Test Yourself Express pickup site. Tests will be available at every DCPS school on Monday, January 3 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Tuesday, January 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Families can pick up a test at any DCPS school.
• Test your child on Tuesday, January 4. Tests administered before January 4 will not be accepted.
• Upload results by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 4.

Families may choose to utilize their own antigen or PCR tests, but tests administered before Tuesday, January 4 will not be accepted.

Families should report their child’s results on Tuesday, January 4 by:

• Visiting dcps.dc.gov/safereturn
• Entering your student’s name, address, a contact email, a contact phone number, their school, the date of their test, and their test results
• Uploading a photo or pdf of your results

All DCPS students will need to provide proof of a negative test result before returning to school.

You can find more information at DCPS’ website or  dcpsreopenstrong.com.

DCPS Chancellor Ferebee also shared individual DCPS schools may need to transition to virtual learning in 2022.

He stated that “We expect that schools and classrooms will need to transition to situation virtual learning throughout the semester, especially in the coming weeks. In the event a school needs to transition to situational virtual learning, schools will pivot for up to 10 calendar days. Decisions about specific classrooms and grade levels within a school will be made on a case-by-case basis. Each day, staff and student availability will be reviewed by 4:00 p.m. and school posture decisions will be made by 8:00 p.m.”

To learn more, please visit dcpsreopenstrong.com