COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – With the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency rescinding their mandated quarantine order as of Thursday midnight in response to policy language added to the state budget bill, Coldwater Community Schools says in a statement posted on the district’s website that as of the end of the school day this past Friday, October 1, close contacts will no longer be required to quarantine.
Superintendent Terry Ann Whelan said that while the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency and the school district will be recommending to the parents that they quarantine their students, they will not be requiring it.
Whelan added, “We will also offer them the option to get their kids tested on day 5 as an additional mitigation measure. When we notify the parents of the close contact between their child and the positive student, we will ask if they are going to quarantine so that we can provide the teacher with the student’s information so they are able to join their Google Meet.”
She also said in the statement that positive students for COVID-19 will continue to be quarantined for the recommended 10 days and be symptom free before returning.
In addition, Whelan says they will continue to recommend to their families that they get the vaccines for their students, encourage them to wear a mask and they will continue to distance students the best they can.
Students will still be required to wear a face mask on buses since that is a Federal Law. The district will continue to only allow visitors that are working in an approved program to come into their buildings when they provide proof of a vaccination. The promotion of healthy hygiene practices as well as cleaning and disinfecting routines will continue. The district will also continue encouraging home screening while also monitoring students for any symptoms and keep them out for the 48-hour “symptom free” rule.
Whelan says they have quarantined 901 students and, “statistically less than two percent of all quarantined students ended up testing positive from a school related exposure. In addition, we will continue to monitor how we are doing as a district and will make changes if needed.”
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