Dear Families,
I hope this email finds you and your family in good health. As we prepare to welcome our students back to school on Monday, I am again asking for your help and understanding as we continue to navigate through the challenges of an ever-evolving pandemic.
Masking:
Without being able to socially distance this year, masking and vaccines are our only tools to provide a barrier against transmission. At this time, masking remains optional in our school buildings; however, I strongly encourage you to consider having your child(ren) mask in school during the next few weeks. This latest variant is highly contagious and records are being set daily for new cases.
While masking will be optional in our buildings when students return, masks continue to be required on school transportation. In addition, please be aware that should we see instances of spread in our schools, masking may become a requirement in our classrooms.
Develop a Backup Plan Now:
While we have every intention of being in school on Monday, January 3rd and each day thereafter, staffing our district was already a challenge and this current peak in cases may create a situation where we will not have sufficient staffing to safely operate our schools. Please take this opportunity to develop a backup plan for your family should we need to close, which may occur on very short notice.
Updated Guidance from the CDC and Lorain County Public Health:
Based on recent guidance from the CDC, students and staff that are positive and asymptomatic or have symptoms that are improving, may return to school 5 days after the onset of symptoms (day 1 equals the day after symptoms began) and then must wear a mask for the following 5 days. In addition, Lorain County Public Health has recommended that contact tracing be suspended in schools as it has not proved to be effective in reducing spread. As a result, students will no longer be considered close contacts or subject to quarantine and may continue to attend school if they remain symptom free. We will continue to notify you of positive cases in your child’s classroom and we will also continue to share case counts with you as we have done in the past.
In closing, our goal remains the same……..to keep our students in school. Please consider what steps your family can take in the next few weeks to provide all of our students the consistency and routines they have enjoyed this school year.
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Mike Von Gunten
Superintendent