On this page, Western Suffolk BOCES will update parents, students and staff regarding health and safety matters.
Parents: Stay in the Know!
Western Suffolk BOCES and Wilson Tech frequently share information with families through robocalls and emails. If you have any changes to your contact information, please update the information on the form provided below:
Update Contact Information
Joint NYSED/NYSDOH Letter Winter 2022
Fight Flu at School and Home
Each fall, schools are required to share information about influenza with parents, students and staff. There are postings in our buildings with information from the New York State Department of Health. To learn more about flu, click the links below:
La influenza: Una guia para los padres
NYSDOH Seasonal Flu Information for Children and Adolescents
COVID-19 Protocols for the 2022-23 School Year
(Please note that the following reflects guidance issued by the New York State Department of Education and New York State Department of Health on August 22, 2022. We will update staff if any further guidance is issued.)
- Individuals testing positive for COVID-19:
- Should isolate for five days.
- May return to school on Day 6 if they are fever-free for 24 hours without use of fever-reducing medication and other symptoms are improving/have resolved and they wear a mask through Day 10.
- CDC guidance is that those who are not able to wear a well-fitting mask or respiration should either isolate for a full 10 days or follow the test-based strategy to determine when they can return to school without a mask.
- Masks:
- The State is not requiring universal masking,
- The CDC recommends that individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19 wear a well-fitting mask for 10 days following exposure and to test for the virus (at least five days after exposure or sooner if symptoms develop)
- Quarantine is no longer recommended for asymptomatic individuals exposed to COVID-19 in schools.
- Physical Distancing is no longer recommended.
- Contact Tracing is no longer recommended.
- There is NO testing requirement of any kind for students or staff, regardless of vaccination status.
- Schools are no longer required to report positive COVID-19 test results to the State or the Suffolk County Department of Health. As such, Western Suffolk BOCES will discontinue all reporting of COVID-19 cases.
For more information:
2022-23 School Year Joint DOH-SED Letter to Schools
2022-23 School Year FAQs for Schools UPDATED 9/8/22
What Parents/Caregivers Should Know about COVID Mitigation Strategies for the 2022-2023 School Year
Archived Reference Information
NYSDOH COVID-19 Guidance (released March 2, 2022)
New Masking Guidance: Supplemental Information
School Masking and Testing Guidance: FAQs for Schools
NYSDOH COVID-19 Guidance (dated January 13, 2022)
Updated Isolation & Quarantine Guidance from NYSDOH
Isolation & Quarantine Tables from NYSDOH
NYSED Health and Safety Guide for the 2021-2022 School Year
Interim NYSDOH Guidance for Classroom Instruction