
Important Message from Dr. Cain
November 24, 2020 ~ WSD Staff
Good Afternoon,
The St. Charles County Department of Public Health has released updated guidance advising that we follow a “Modified Quarantine Plan” in our schools as outlined by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. County superintendents have been working in conjunction with SCCDPH officials since the announcement from the MDHSS and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education earlier this month, to ensure we have the appropriate protocols in place to adhere to the modified guidance.
The Modified Quarantine Protocols for Contacts in Schools will begin on Monday, November 30. Under the new guidelines:
Individuals exposed to a COVID-positive person at school when both are properly wearing masks will be put on a modified quarantine.
The student or staff member will be able to leave home for school/work.
Outside of attending school/work, the student or staff member should be at home. (No carpooling and no extracurricular activities.)
Standard quarantine still applies to anyone exposed outside of school hours or exposed in any situation where masks were not properly used.
Staff and students under a current standard quarantine need to adhere to their current release date.
Staff and students on a modified quarantine who develop COVID-19 symptoms should revert to a standard quarantine and stay home.
Please note, our contact tracing efforts will continue, unchanged, and staff and students will still be notified if they have been in close contact with an individual who has tested positive. They will also still be required to quarantine for 14 days; the only change is that the student or staff member will be permitted to come to school or work in the WSD during their modified quarantine.
The work our staff members have done to conduct contact tracing with fidelity has been outstanding and I cannot say that enough. The Director of Public Health called our contact tracing “textbook,” in fact. I want to reiterate that this work will continue under the county’s updated guidance.
Now more than ever, it is imperative that we all continue to follow universal precautions to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Please remember to:
Regularly screen yourself and your children for COVID-19 symptoms and stay home if you are ill;
Practice social distancing whenever and wherever possible;
Keep your cohort group small; the more people with whom you come in contact, the greater your risk of exposure;
Wash and/or sanitize your hands often and well;
Properly wear an effective mask.
This continues to be a very challenging and unprecedented school year. Navigating the pandemic is difficult for everyone and I appreciate that there are wide-ranging viewpoints as to what may be the best approach. Our responsibility and focus remains the same: to meet the educational needs of our students and provide a safe and healthy working and learning environment. Thank you for everything you continue to do for students and for the WSD. You are an amazing team. Together, we will continue our work to ensure the safety of our students, each other, and the community. Please take the time to rest and relax over the Thanksgiving break - you have all earned it!
Curtis Cain, Ph.D.
Superintendent