To Our Springboro Families:
I hope that you all had a nice, relaxing Winter Break and that you had the chance to enjoy time together with your family. It’s been great returning to school this week, even if virtually, after a much needed and well-deserved Winter Break for students, parents, teachers, and staff.
As we begin the 2nd Semester we continue to face many challenges with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. I just wanted make you aware of a few items to keep us all on the same page moving forward:
As you may be aware, Gov. Mike DeWine released new quarantining procedures for all Ohio K-12 schools. Our district has been working with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and the Warren County Health District (WCHD) this past week to fully understand the specifics of these new quarantining procedures, in order to relay them to our community accurately.
After gathering data from an ODH study, involving several Ohio K-12 schools, and consulting with local health experts, the State has determined that students and staff do not have to quarantine provided they have continued to properly wear a facemask in a classroom setting, AND have maintained at least three (3) feet spacing. Previously, the standard for socially distancing, while properly wearing a facemask in the classroom setting, was six (6) feet. This has now been changed to three (3) feet. This only applies to the classroom environment, bus transportation, and the study hall style time period for those grade 6-12 students who are awaiting transportation after school.
Beginning Monday, January 11, 2021, the district will resume in-person instruction for our Model A students. Any student or staff member in a classroom setting, on a bus, or in the study hall style after school area, who was properly wearing a facemask, and was at least three (3) feet apart from an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 will NOT have to quarantine. If at any time during one of these settings, a student or staff member was not wearing their mask or was closer than three (3) feet from an individual who tested positive for COVID-19, that student or staff member would have to quarantine.
This change in procedure will help tremendously as we strive to keep our school buildings open.
Quarantining procedures for athletics remain the same. There is no change for quarantining from an exposure of COVID-19 in an athletic setting. This will still remain the same procedure as before, which was at least six (6) feet apart and wearing a facemask.
For the Elementary grade levels (PreK - 5), your building Principal and/or teacher will be communicating further details to you in regards to snack time and/or mask breaks in the classroom.
Moving forward, beginning Monday, January 11, 2021, when the district is notified of a positive COVID-19 test result, the following will occur within twenty-four (24) hours:
• Contact tracing in school will occur for contacts (students/staff) who were unmasked and/or within three (3) feet of a positive case in a classroom. Contact tracing will occur for contacts (students/staff) who were unmasked and/or within six (6) feet of a positive case in a lunch and/or athletic setting (when masks can’t be worn);
• Any close contacts, resulting in a quarantine, will receive a phone call from a school administrator notifying them of the need to quarantine and a follow-up email with specific instructions;
• An exposure letter will be sent to all individuals who need to quarantine based off a class, bus, or extracurricular activity associated with the positive person; and
• A letter will also be sent to the school building’s parents and staff notifying them of the positive case.
Please understand that this change applies only to close contacts of a positive case in the traditional classroom. Anyone identified as a close contact to a positive case outside of school will need to follow the quarantine procedures as directed by their physician or the Warren County Health District.
VACCINES FOR STAFF
Also, we’ve all heard the State of Ohio’s plan for their Phase 1B rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. This states that those individuals in Ohio who serve as K-12 staff and personnel will start to be able to receive the vaccine beginning February 1st. We are currently working with the State and the WCHD on how this will look for our teachers, staff, and administrators here at Springboro Schools. When the vaccine does arrive, our plan is to have this administered here in the district at one of our school building locations.
We will be in contact with our teachers, staff, and community members again, as we get more details in the coming weeks from ODH and the WCHD on the logistics of how this will work safely and effectively for everyone.
As we implement this change in quarantine procedure, and the administering of the COVID-19 vaccine to our teachers/staff, we will continue all of our safety and distancing practices, and work closely with both ODH and the WCHD, per their guidelines.
As always, we thank you for your continued cooperation, patience, and hard work as we go through this most challenging school year.
Sincerely,
Larry Hook, Superintendent