Bowling Green City Schools will continue to require students and staff to wear masks when they return to school on Wednesday. The district will follow the new directives from the CDC on isolation and quarantining.
Superintendent Francis Scruci sent out the following letter on Tuesday to parents, guardians and staff:
I hope this communication finds you well and rested from the holiday season. We are looking forward to having our students back in classrooms tomorrow. As you know during our holiday break, the CDC announced new guidelines in regards to Covid protocols. The number of active cases in Wood County and more specifically the 43402 zip code have been steadily increasing over the past 10 days.
• Wood County last week had 560.32 cases per 100,000, which shows high transmission in the community.
• In the 43402-zip code, there have been 338 cases in the last two weeks and 1,140.8 cases per 100,000. This means that the COVID-19 spread in 43402 is over double the county average.
These numbers will require us to continue the mandatory masking in all our schools but we will continue to monitor and make you aware of any changes.
As you know during our holiday break, the CDC announced new guidelines in regards to Covid protocols.
Here is a quick update on changes in protocol that took place over break:
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their isolation and quarantine guidance, later followed by the Ohio Department of Health. The Wood County Health Department has adopted the guidance, so we will continue to work with WCHD and follow their lead on all decisions.
• We will be using the ODH flow charts linked here regarding exposure to and diagnosis of COVID-19.
For your convenience, below is a summary of the flow chart
“Fully Vaccinated” definition has been updated by the Ohio Department of Health to meeting one of the following criteria:
- You have received a booster shot.
- You received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine less than 6 months ago.
- You received the J&J vaccine less than 2 months ago.
- The WCHD will be tracking these timelines, as there is no way as a district we can manage that type of information.
Quarantine/Isolation changes:
- If you are exposed to COVID at school – remains the same: wear a mask for 10 days. ODH & WCHD recommend testing on day 5 if supplies allow.
- If you are exposed to COVID at home (fully vaccinated) – remains the same if you meet the criteria for “fully vaccinated” – wear a mask for 10 days. ODH & WCHD recommend testing on day 5 if supplies allow.
- If you are exposed at home (not fully vaccinated) – stay home for 5 days, return on day 6 with a mask through day 10 if no symptoms occur. ODH & WCHD recommend testing on day 5 if supplies allow.
- If you test positive for COVID – stay home for 5 days (isolation). If there is no fever and symptoms are better after 5 days you may return to school on day 6 with a mask through day 10. If symptoms persist, you should remain isolated and consult your doctor.
- Athletes – test to play continues if you are exposed to COVID. Test upon notification of exposure, and again on day 5. The first test is waived for fully vaccinated students, but the day 5 test is for all students.
- The recommended testing for this entire process is a rapid test and we will provide them as long as WCHD can maintain supplies.
Students who had to remain home for 10 days previously are now required to stay home for 5 days. Keeping students in school is a good step forward. However, much of this guidance continues to require parental cooperation to keep your child at home if they are not feeling well. Please do not send your child to school if they are sick, talk to our nurse on the phone or consult your doctor.
We appreciate your continued support and understanding as we deal with Covid and the changing guidelines. We understand that this has become more confusing at times due to the changes but will try to answer any and all questions that you may have.
If you have any questions, please contact our school nurse, Mrs. Brittany Howard or the Wood County Health Department.
