At its regular meeting on Thursday, August 12, 2021, the Roane County Board of Education adopted the complete list of prevention strategies recommended by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the 2021-22 school year kicks off next week.
First and foremost, the Board agreed with the CDC that students should return to full-time in-person learning this fall, so the Distance Learning option presented during the 2020-21 school year will not available at this time. West Virginia law requires county boards to offer a virtual school option and later in its meeting the Board adopted a new virtual school platform to launch the Roane County Virtual School in grades K - 12.
To minimize disruptions to in-person learning, many of the prevention strategies recommended by the CDC have been in place since the return to school last fall, with small class sizes to promote physical distancing, ventilation upgrades, increased focus on handwashing and sanitizing, community partnerships to provide testing, and contact tracing and quarantine protocols should the need arise.
2021-22 COVID-19 Prevention Strategies
Per the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Roane County Schools will implement the following prevention strategies throughout the 2021-22 school year or until further notice:
1) Promoting Vaccination
All eligible Roane County residents are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated.
2) Consistent and Correct Mask Use
All students, staff, and visitors are recommended to wear a mask when indoors, especially when physical distancing cannot be maintained, regardless of vaccination status. This is done to ensure that unvaccinated individuals and those who cannot be vaccinated due to age or other medical issues are protected.
All students and staff on school buses must wear a mask under CDC Order.
3) Physical Distancing
Roane County Schools will maintain small class sizes and refrain from large indoor assemblies, gatherings, etc., of students.
4) Screening Testing
Testing remains available through community healthcare partners on-demand and through scheduled drive-through events. Further availability may become available if needed.
5) Ventilation
Ventilation upgrades installed in August 2020 remain in place throughout Roane County Schools facilities.
6) Handwashing and Respiratory Etiquette
Staff will continue to encourage good handwashing and respiratory etiquette with students. Permanent hand sanitizer stations have been installed in classrooms and common spaces.
7) Staying Home When Sick and Getting Tested
Students and staff who are sick should not come to school. School nurses will monitor students and staff for symptoms and dismiss those who show symptoms typical of COVID-19 unless and until a negative test is presented. Unvaccinated students and staff awaiting test results should not come to school. Vaccinated students and staff awaiting test results may come to school so long as they are not showing symptoms of COVID-19.
8) Contact Tracing in Combination with Isolation and Quarantine
Working with the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department, Roane County Schools will continue to perform contact tracing and require quarantines for exposure to or positive test results for COVID-19.
Vaccinated students and staff are not required to quarantine unless they are showing symptoms of COVID-19 and / or test positive for COVID-19. They are encouraged to be tested 3 - 5 days after exposure as a precaution.
Unvaccinated students are not required to quarantine after close contact with another student who tests positive for COVID-19 if and only if both students were wearing a mask at the time of exposure.
Unvaccinated staff are always required to quarantine after close contact with any individual who tests positive for COVID-19.
Close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of an individual for 15 minutes or more in a 24-hour period, except in classroom situations in which both students are wearing masks and the contact was between 3 and 6 feet.
Quarantine length shall be defined by the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department in each case. Typically, unvaccinated individuals are required to quarantine for 10 days if no symptoms occur or 7 days if no symptoms occur with a negative test result taken on or after day 5.
9) Cleaning and Disinfection
Roane County Schools will continue to implement additional cleaning procedures as needed. This includes sanitizing classrooms after confirmation of a positive test result for a member of the class or removal of a sick student or staff member.
You can read more about these prevention strategies on the CDC's Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools.