By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
As of Thursday, masks will be optional – but still recommended – at Bowling Green City Schools.
Superintendent Francis Scruci sent a letter to parents, guardians and staff Wednesday afternoon.
The district joined Perrysburg, Otsego, Lake and Penta Career Center in deciding to shift to mask recommendations rather than mandates. Eastwood, Elmwood and North Baltimore have not mandated masks this school year. Rossford’s board of education was scheduled to discuss the issue on Wednesday.
Scruci’s email explained that the Ohio Department of Health and the Wood County Health Department updated their quarantine guidance.
“The guidance has been named Mask to Stay/Test to Play and this option aligns with our goal of keeping kids in school,” he wrote. “From the start of this school year, we have worked tirelessly to stay open and allow for your children to attend school in-person every day and support their intellectual, physical and mental health and well-being.”
The Ohio Department of Health stated the decision to change quarantine rules is a result of national experience, a pilot in Warren County, and experience shared by local health departments that points toward a low number of individuals with direct contact to a COVID-19 positive individual with a school setting who converted to a positive case.
While masks won’t be mandated inside schools, they will still be required on school buses.
“This is a federal mandate and until this changes, everyone on the bus will be required to wear a mask. Please make sure you send one with your students every day,” Scruci said.
Additionally, the updated guidance only impacts students with classroom exposure to COVID. Household exposures or exposures outside of the school setting or outside of school related activities will still require an at home quarantine.
The following contains the full guidance from the Ohio Department of Health.
Mask to Stay: A student or staff member who is determined to be a direct contact at school regardless of vaccination or masking status may remain in school if they do the following:
– Wear a mask for 14 days.
– Remain asymptomatic. Parents need to monitor their child and keep them home if any COVID symptoms emerge.
– Isolate and get tested if they become symptomatic.
– They may discontinue masking if they receive a negative COVID test administered 5-7 days after exposure, and they remain asymptomatic.
Test To Play: Asymptomatic direct contacts from school or school-related activities may continue to participate in extracurricular activities if they do the following:
– Wear a mask when able – This includes locker rooms, sitting/standing on the sidelines and anytime where wearing a mask will not interfere with breathing or create a safety hazard.
– Test for COVID immediately after being notified of exposure. Must test negative to continue to play and practice.
– Test again on days 5-7 after exposure. If negative again, they will test out of quarantine.
– Test can either be a PCR or antigen test, but the test must be proctored. The test kits we send home have a tele-visit component to them which is considered to be proctored. A test done at a pharmacy or urgent care is also proctored. Rapid tests purchased that do not have someone trained to proctor them will not be considered.
The Ohio Department of Health gave school districts across the state COVID-19 (proctored antigen) test kits and BG Schools will continue to make these kits available to parents at their request, while supplies last. The school district does not administer any COVID-19 testing. Decisions regarding testing are made at the sole discretion of parents.
Scruci added that the district will continue to monitor for in-school spread of COVID.
“If we see a significant increase in spread, we may need to return to a mask mandate,” he wrote.
“We continue to stress the importance of communication, patience, and flexibility as we navigate through this pandemic. These changes do not mean the pandemic is over. We are still required by law to contact trace and quarantine students based on this guidance and will need your collaboration throughout this process,” Scruci wrote.
