Throughout the school year, district leaders will be monitoring Department of Health and CDC guidelines and recommendations and revisiting district protocols to make any necessary adjustments to BH-BL’s Tiered Mitigation Plan.
This past week, based on new guidance and internal reviews, adjustments were made to the plan. [VIEW PLAN HERE] On Monday, the district put into play its updated transportation practices to include assigned seating as well as students in the same household sitting together. This was done when school officials learned that a majority of mandatory quarantine cases were the result of the close proximity of students on school buses. Assigned seating allows for more accurate contact tracing while household seating could possibly help reduce exposure.
More recently, new guidance was released from the CDC stating schools no longer need to conduct daily temperature screenings. BH-BL COVID Coordinator Jodi Reynolds explains that staff, who have been performing random temperature screenings since school began, have not reported any instances of elevated temperatures on students. Given these findings and the recommendations from the CDC, BH-BL school nurses will no longer be conducting random temperature screenings. However, the CDC strongly recommends district’s remain proactive by urging anyone who is experiencing COVID symptoms to get testing and stay home when they are feeling unwell. Please visit the district website for “When to Stay Home” guidelines. Additionally, any school-age child who tests positive for COVID-19 should contact Jodi Reynolds at joreynolds@bhbl.org right away.
The plan also includes more specific guidance on expectations for mask breaks for students throughout the school day.
The district continues to stay in close contact with the county departments of health, providing feedback on how things are going. The district will continue to keep parents and community members informed of updates to the Tiered Mitigation Plan. Additionally, various data and COVID cases per building are listed on the district website every weekday by 5 p.m. If you have any questions related to COVID, please contact Jodi Reynolds. If you have any questions about the Tiered Mitigation Plan, please contact Superintendent Dr. Patrick McGrath.