Governor Issues New Quarantine Guidelines
There have been some important updates concerning COVID-19 protocols and policies. On December 30, Governor DeWine shared new quarantine guidelines for K-12 schools. These updated guidelines impact staff and students who are in close contact with someone who has COVID-19.
K-12 Quarantine Guidelines (per Ohio Department Health January 7, 2020):
If a student or teacher is exposed in a classroom environment or while on required school transport (e.g., school bus) to someone with COVID-19, quarantine is not recommended for the exposed individual as long as masking and other appropriate protocols were followed.
The new guidance does not mean an end to quarantines. Students could still be quarantined based on exposures outside of the classroom (lunch, athletics, etc.) and if masking or other protocols were unable to be followed. These quarantine decisions will be made in consultation with the Butler County General Health District.
Ohio’s updated quarantine protocols were developed in consultation with many resources, including an evaluation of K-12 school students conducted by the Ohio Schools COVID-19 Evaluation Team. The study showed that, in a supervised classroom setting, there was no discernible difference in rates of COVID-19 among students who were close contacts with someone with the disease and students in the same grade who were not close contacts.
Monroe’s current health and safety protocols will continue to be reinforced, and parents will still be notified of positive COVID-19 cases and quarantines via email. Based on the COVID-19 data over the break and this week, we will be making a full in-person return on Monday, January 11, 2021.
We will do everything we can to preserve the in-person schedule. COVID-19 data is monitored daily, and an increase in cases or a shortage of substitutes may cause us to transition to hybrid or remote learning. It is important that families have a back-up plan if the district must shift to remote learning or is unable to cover bus routes due to a lack of drivers. Know that we will try to give parents as much notice as possible in these cases.
