School district cautiously weighs COVID-19 policies

Students arriving at Jefferson City High School Tuesday for the first day of classes were greeted by STUCO members and the drum line as they entered the building's west side. Construction is ongoing so staff and students have to make adjustments but district officials are working hard to make sure things go as smooth as possible.
Students arriving at Jefferson City High School Tuesday for the first day of classes were greeted by STUCO members and the drum line as they entered the building's west side. Construction is ongoing so staff and students have to make adjustments but district officials are working hard to make sure things go as smooth as possible.

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Jefferson City School District leaders are evaluating new COVID-19 guidelines and procedures to determine what effects they may have on the district and if they should make changes to their procedures.

If a person at a K-12 school that has a mandate in place to wear masks is diagnosed with COVID-19 and someone else was exposed, but both people were correctly wearing masks at the time, the exposed person will not need to quarantine, according to new guidelines Gov. Mike Parson and his administration announced Thursday.

The Cole County Health Department also issued a news release Thursday announcing changes to the county's contact tracing approach. Under the county's new procedures, individuals will receive instructions on what to do if they test positive for COVID-19 at the time a test is taken. Instead of the health department contacting close contacts, individuals who test positive for COVID-19 will now be responsible for notifying their own close contacts.

The Cole County Health Department will continue to assist schools in contact tracing as long as CARES Act funding is available, according to the news release.

The Jefferson City School District sent an email to families stating district leaders are reviewing the updated guidance and procedures "to determine what impact they will have, if any, on our existing processes and procedures."

For the time being, the existing COVID-19 procedures for students and staff will not change, according to the email.

The district requires social distancing and wearing a mask when social distancing is not possible. If an individual tests positive for COVID-19, anyone who was within 6 feet of them for at least 15 minutes must quarantine for 14 days, even if they were both wearing masks.

All Jefferson City middle schools and high schools are currently distance learning because of a significant staffing shortage from teachers being quarantined.

The district will be in touch with further information after district leaders fully evaluate the updated guidance and determine whether any changes are necessary, the email states.

"The Jefferson City School District remains focused on protecting health, safety, and learning within our buildings," Superintendent Larry Linthacum said. "We look forward to learning more from the health department about how their new approach will be implemented."

District leaders are concerned the new contact tracing procedures may have unintended consequences on the spread of COVID-19 in the community. Linthacum said he is worried about the impact it may have on the district as an employer and on their ability to keep schools open.

"We have a lot of questions as to what affect the county's new contact tracing approach will have on our current quarantine process, our employee leave process, and the number of infected individuals within our school environment," he said.

Linthacum said he's concerned about the safety of giving individuals the responsibility to notify their close contacts.

"When you remove that layer of protection and leave contact tracing up to citizens, it may lead to more students and staff members who have been exposed to the virus coming to school and unknowingly transmitting it to others," he said.