Five days for school staff, still 10 days for students
By Bert Lehman
Despite the CDC recently recommending that Covid-19 quarantines be reduced to five days, the Clintonville School District will keep the quarantine time for students at 10 days, while reducing the quarantine for school staff to five days.
The Clintonville School Board approved the change when it met Jan. 10.
School administration had recommended that the board not change the district’s current isolation and quarantine practices, which included quarantining for 10 days for students and school staff.
That stance was relayed to families in the district via a Jan. 6 letter from Clintonville Superintendent Troy Kuhn.
In the letter, Kuhn said the district’s goals continue to be a safe educational environment; instructing students in-person five days a week; limiting the stress and disruptions for students, staff and parents; and providing quick, appropriate and respectful communication.
He said COVID-19 cases have increased exponentially in Waupaca County after the holiday break.
During the first week of January, the district communicated with local and state health officials, area superintendents, administration and district nursing staff, Kuhn said in the letter.
“Many students and staff are out due to illness,” Kuhn said. “Most of these absences are due to flu-like symptoms. To prevent an outbreak within a classroom, school or throughout the district, we ask that if your child is sick for any reason, please keep them home. Growing evidence suggests the Omicron variant is most transmissible one to two days before the onset of symptoms and during the two to three days afterward, but can be transmissible up to 10 days after the start of symptoms. Because of this, we will continue to be extra vigilant in sending students and staff home if they are symptomatic.”
The letter noted that the district is aware of the CDC’s new recommendation to shorten the quarantine duration to five days. But, after communicating with health officials, area superintendents, administration, and the district nursing staff, the administration would recommend that the school board not change the district’s current isolation and quarantine practices.
“Our recommendation to maintain the current isolation and quarantine practices is two fold: 1) Our district is currently recommending, but not requiring masks. 2) There has not been clarification published by the CDC, DHS or DPI regarding specific recommendations in school settings,” Kuhn said.
Board changes
As stated, the quarantine for students is 10 days from symptom start or test date if asymptomatic. Quarantine for staff is for five days from symptom start date or test date. Once symptoms are improving staff need to wear masks for five additional days.
If there is a positive covid case in a district household, an unvaccinated person must quarantine for 10 days from exposure once isolated in the household before they can return to school. They must also show proof of a negative test on or after day five of exposure and have had no symptoms for 24 hours. They can then return on day seven.
Testing needs to be medically administered and/or lab tested. No at-home test results will be accepted.
The district will no longer contact parents via phone regarding notification of close contacts at school. Instead, the district will inform parents and guardians of students in that building of the positive Covid-19 case by email.