Monroe County School District recently issued the following announcement.
Vaccines are highly recommended for all of those who are eligible for them
Masks are optional but highly recommended, particularly for unvaccinated children and teachers
Persons who are exposed to Covid and who are unvaccinated and unmasked will be asked to quarantine if exposed
Those showing symptoms should stay home
The Monroe County School District is offering guidance for the upcoming school year regarding Covid-19, masks, social distancing and quarantine. Keep in mind these guidelines may change as the situation in the county, state and country change. Keep an eye on the district’s website, social media pages and local media for updates.
As the school year draws closer, the district highly recommends all those who are eligible for a vaccine get one. As far as masks are concerned, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) this week issued a recommendation urging mask wearing for everyone in a school setting. In Monroe County Schools masks are not required, but they are highly recommended for everyone, and in particular for unvaccinated students and teachers who should wear masks while indoors in order to avoid infection, and in order to protect others from infection. According to the Health Department, wearing a mask also means if you are exposed to someone who is Covid positive, you will not have to quarantine unless you test positive or begin to show symptoms.
“I have been meeting with the health department and we are all concerned about the safety of our students and teachers in the coming school year given the recent uptick in Covid-19 in our community and elsewhere in the state and the country,” said Superintendent Theresa Axford. “We want to encourage everyone in the district, students and teachers alike, to be vaccinated as soon as possible. We also want to encourage everyone to wear masks while indoors, although masks will not be mandated this coming school year.”
Schools will do their best to make sure all students are socially distanced by at least three feet while indoors. But according to school policy and health department recommendations, if a student who is unvaccinated and unmasked is exposed to someone who is positive for Covid-19, he or she would have to quarantine. That same unvaccinated student who is wearing a mask at the time of exposure would not have to undergo quarantine. And a vaccinated student regardless of mask-wearing who is exposed to a positive case of Covid, would not have to quarantine. As they did in the past school year, teachers will be asked to keep seating charts to help determine if a student has been exposed to a positive case and the district will work with the health department to determine the details and length of any quarantine required for an exposure.
Bus riders in particular should seriously consider wearing masks because social distancing is not possible on the bus. Other mitigation efforts such as frequent handwashing and establishing traffic flow patterns to encourage safe distancing will continue to be employed in the coming year, as in the past school year.
“We are hoping parents and students alike recognize the benefits of being vaccinated and wearing a mask if you cannot be vaccinated. For those who remain unvaccinated you are still at risk of infection and of infecting others if you don’t wear a mask,” said Axford.
Vaccines are available from many locations, including most local pharmacies in the Florida Keys. As always, students and district personnel should stay home if they are showing symptoms of illness.
Original source can be found here.
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