MONROE — At the July 26 Board of education meeting, the school board approved COVID-19 protocols for the upcoming 2021-22 school year.
These protocols are significantly less restrictive than last school year, though changes could be made depending on if there are any significant increases in active cases within the schools or the county. Changes would be made by District Administrator Rick Waski.
“As we approach the start of the 2021-2022 school year, we are hopeful that we can get closer to what we knew as a normal school experience before March of 2020,” Waski wrote in an email to parents July 27. “Early in the summer, the Covid 19 numbers were at the lowest they had been in well over a year and the outlook for a very traditional start to the school year looked promising. In the last few weeks, the number of cases is starting to rise again and there is concern across the country regarding Covid 19 variants that have mutated over the last few months.”
Masks will be optional for students and staff, though the district does encourage the use of masks for those not yet vaccinated. Masks will be made available at all schools and district buildings.
“As a district, we know that we will manage COVID 19 in the future much like we manage influenza, strep throat, and other contagious pathogens. However, there still needs to be increased attention given to managing school operations while this virus is still mutating and while waiting for larger percentages of the population to become vaccinated,” Waski said.
Any student or staff that tests positive for COVID-19 will have to quarantine for a minimum of 10 days from when the symptoms began. Students and staff will have to be symptom-free for 48 hours before returning to school.
Close contact individuals will follow slightly different guidelines:
● Vaccinated students and staff are not subject to quarantine
● Non-vaccinated students and staff will be subject to a 10-day quarantine beginning with their exposure to a positive individual
● The district will consider “close contacts” to be individuals that were within 6 feet of a positive individual for a cumulative total of 15 minutes in a 24-hour time period
● The district will attempt to contact trace to determine close contacts but acknowledge that this will be most difficult to do at the elementary level where students move around frequently
● Vaccinated individuals may still be carriers of the virus; they should be aware of possible symptoms and take precautions if they appear
Quarantines will also apply to athletes and co-curricular activity participants that are not vaccinated that are in close contact with a positive individual. Teachers are required to utilize Google Classroom or Schoology as a virtual platform so students can perform some learning activities remotely when quarantined.
The district is also offering virtual instruction through JEDI. Students using JEDI would commit for an entire semester before opting out. JEDI is also not instructed by Monroe teachers, unlike last school year.
For more information on the JEDI program, contact Todd Paradis, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, at toddparadis@monroe.k12.wi.us or at 608-328-7847.
