Early last week, the Lafayette County C-1 administration announced “Due to an increase in positive COVID-19 cases and student quarantines, Lafayette County C-1 High School will return to wearing masks in all school facilities. This will begin on Tuesday, December 7, and remain (in) effect for the remainder of the semester.”
According to a spokesperson at the district, that included the middle school, as well.
However, that has all been reversed due to a directive received from Attorney General Eric Schmidt.
District officials say, “We appreciate your patience as we work with various agencies whose work and decisions impact our school system. The Lafayette County C-1 School District continues to do all we can to protect our students and staff from the COVID-19 virus. Everything is very unsettled at the moment, but after recent court cases and information from the Attorney General’s Office, here is what we know at the current time.”
District officials say the Lafayette County Health Department is no longer requiring quarantines for close contacts of a positive case, but rather it is recommending that individuals who are a close contact follow the CDC’s quarantine guidance. Additionally, until it receives further advice, it will not be notifying the district of positive cases, rather it is recommending that individuals report that information directly to the school.
District officials add, “After careful consideration, the Board of Education has made the following changes to our mitigation strategies, effective immediately:
– Masks will return to a recommended status. The district will no longer require masking but will continue to strongly recommend students, staff and public wear appropriate face coverings, as recommended by the CDC, when entering any district facilities where distancing is not possible. Masking is still required on all school buses per federal mandate. When this requirement is rescinded, masks will no longer be required.
– Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination or symptoms, will still be excluded from the school environment for a period of 10 days from the symptom onset, or from the day of testing if there are no symptoms.
– Close contacts of a positive case will not be excluded from school environments. If students who are close contacts develop symptoms, they will be excluded from school until they are 24 hours symptom free. The school will still offer rapid testing, and it is recommended that all close contacts of a positive case participate.
– The school will continue to notify parents if their child is a close contact of a known positive case while at school. The district will offer rapid testing- regardless of vaccination status- for those students who are close contacts and recommend masking for seven days
District officials say, “We encourage parents to continue to monitor their child for symptoms and keep students home when they do not feel well. These strategies will be reviewed at least monthly and may change. Updated guidance will be shared with parents and will be available on the district’s website. Other situations may arise that require additional precautions and the leadership of the district may determine that masks or other protective measures may be required.”