Happy Friday Toppers, Bruins and Honey Bears!
I am excited to report that we had a strong start to our school year. It is fantastic to have students back in our buildings for full days, as well as hosting indoor events in season! Students have resumed typical instruction that pandemic mitigations limited last school year. Students and staff alike appear happy to regain a semblance of normalcy.
COVID-19 Update
We currently have two grade school students who have tested positive for COVID-19 and 2 grade school staff members who have tested positive. None of these cases have led to any other individuals being quarantined. At the high school, we have had one student test positive for COVID-19 resulting in two additional students being quarantined. It should be noted that if masks were not being worn, the number of students in quarantine would have been in the double digits. The two students were quarantined due to proximity during lunch, when masks are not worn. One student avoided quarantine because they were vaccinated. None of the quarantined students tested positive for COVID-19.
Starting September 7th, all unvaccinated district personnel will begin weekly testing for COVID-19. Testing will be administered by the district nurse. All staff are required to show proof of vaccination or otherwise be considered unvaccinated.
Quarantine
Any students who have come in close contact with a positive testing individual will quarantine for 10 calendar days after their last exposure to the COVID-19 case. Date of last exposure is considered day 0. The individual may end quarantine after day 10 if no symptoms of COVID-19 develop during daily monitoring.
There are two separate options that allow students to “test to stay”, but the responsibility requires families to conform with CDC requirements, participate in repeated off-campus testing and provide appropriate documentation of testing. Please inquire with the district office for more details.
It was a great first week of school, in large part because our students are awesome, which reflects back on their awesome families! We appreciate each and every one in our community and promise to continue providing a safe and wholesome instructional environment! Have a great weekend, we hope to see you at school soon!
Frederick A Lamkey, Mt. Pulaski Superintendent