Authorizing Practices

Our Role in COVID-19: How DC PCSB Supports the Health, Safety, and Well Being of School Communities

As most DC students complete a full year of virtual learning, we, as the authorizer, continue to listen to families, students, and school leaders about what they need and ways to organize solutions with government partners that protect the health, safety, and well-being of school communities. We continue to be a resource for school leaders by sharing information and supporting schools as they prepare their school buildings to reopen and much more.

Our Work to Support Reopening School Buildings

To date, there are more than 60 public charter school campuses that are open for some form of in-person instruction, with more school buildings expected to reopen by March 31. To ensure school communities are prepared, DC PCSB’s health consultants work with school leaders to implement DC Health’s and OSSE’s guidance in their reopening plans. We encourage every school’s reopening plan to include COVID-19 protocols, classroom set-up/structure, and more. Once a school has completed their plan, DC PCSB conducts site visits for each school to confirm or deny if the school is compliant with DC Health’s standards. If a school's plan comes up short, OSSE and DC PCSB share recommendations with school leaders in order to get the school compliant. 

While public charter schools are responsible for their schools’ operating budgets, LEAs’ continuous learning plans revealed many new school expenditures related to the pandemic. For example, Two Rivers PCS’s plan reported its plan to purchase HEPA/UV-C units for classrooms and health suites by the second quarter of SY 2020-21. In addition, many schools reported purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff and students.

Ensuring Schools Stay on Track with Student Health Requirements

District law and regulations began requiring schools to verify immunization certification for all students as part of attendance. Beginning this school year, schools are required to enforce the Immunization Attendance Policy. This includes notifying and potentially removing students that do not meet the health requirements from school until they have obtained the required immunizations and provided documentation to the school. o

To prepare schools, DC PCSB hosted a ‘No Shots, No School’ informational session to give insight on the Immunization Attendance Policy, what it takes to implement the policy, and ways to share information with families.  


For questions about the Immunization Attendance Policy, please contact osse.schoolhealth@dc.gov. For questions about immunization information, data, and locations where families can receive immunizations, schools can contact DC Health at shs.program@dc.gov.