The Greenfield Exempted Village School District will resume classes, practices and events Thursday after Christmas break was extended because of the COVID-19 omicron variant spike. With the reopening, all students, staff and guests at school facilities will be required to wear masks, superintendent Quincey Gray announced in a Dec. 30 Facebook post.
In a letter to parents and guardians posted on the Greenfield Exempted Village School District Facebook page Monday, Gray outlined recent quarantine and isolation guidelines released by the CDC and approved by the Ohio Department of Health that the district will adhere to.
“During the break, many students, their family members, and our staff members were diagnosed with Covid-19,” she stated in the letter. “It is suspected that these most recent cases stem from the Omicron variant due to the number of cases that have occurred, as well as, how contagious it seems to be. It is very important that anyone with Covid-19, or anyone who is supposed to be in quarantine, avoid coming to our facilities.”
According to the letter, masks will be required until at least Friday, Jan. 14, and the district will be reviewing procedures for remote learning. “It is our hope that we don’t have to implement remote learning for any buildings again, but we want to be prepared so that we can best support students and families,” wrote Gray.
The CDC guidelines outlined in the letter apply to situations in which someone is exposed outside of school.
Students in the Greenfield district will continue to be sent home if they develop an illness at school.
The guidelines call for anyone testing positive for COVID-19 to stay home for five days. If there are no symptoms or symptoms have resolved after five days, the isolation can end, but a mask should be worn around others for an additional five days.
The guidelines call for anyone who has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and has received a booster or completed the primary series of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines within the last six months, or completed the primary series of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine within the last two months, to mask around others for 10 days and test on day five if possible.
For anyone who has not met those vaccination requirements and has been exposed to someone with COVID-19, the guidelines call for five days at home and masking around others for five additional days. Testing should be done on day five if possible.
The Lynchburg-Clay School District will not be returning from Christmas break until Monday, Jan. 10 in an effort to reduce COVID cases and quarantine numbers. Athletic and extracurricular activities are resuming as normal. Absences due to illness have recently increased in the district.
The district is teaching remotely during the extended days off, and students are expected to complete assignments.
Masks will remain optional in the district.
The Fairfield Local School District also extended the Christmas break because of increased COVID cases and will resume normal schedules Thursday. Face coverings are strongly encouraged in the district’s buildings.
Students at Hillsboro City Schools returned from Christmas break Tuesday, Jan. 4 as scheduled. Masks are encouraged in the district but not mandatory.
Bright local School District resumed classes Monday, Jan. 3 as scheduled. Masks are required in the district.
Reach John Hackley at 937-402-2571.
