February 12, 2021
I know many of you have seen that the Indiana State Health Department has put out new guidelines for schools regarding quarantine guidelines. The CDC and ISDH recommend the 14-day quarantine as the safest option for a close contact. But they are now giving the option of the 10-day quarantine and a 7-day quarantine. At this time, we will continue to follow at least a 10-day quarantine for students and teachers who have been considered close contacts. If a student or teacher is considered a close contact and they do not develop symptoms they may use the 10-day quarantine. When they return to school they must continue to follow social distancing guidelines and wear a mask at all times. In these cases, they may not participate in athletics or extra-curricular activities if these activities require them to remove their mask. They may resume athletics or extra-curricular activities after the 14-day quarantine. As a school we do not plan to use the 7-day quarantine at this time. We strongly believe that the 10-day to 14-day quarantine is the safest option for our school community. I know the quarantine guidelines can be very confusing. Please contact me if your child or someone in your household has been considered a close contact, so that we can discuss the best options for your family. The Health Department has also changed the definition of a close contact in the classroom setting only. They have reduced the distance to 3 ft instead of 6 ft, if ALL students are wearing masks at ALL times in the classroom setting. Each classroom setting is unique and if contact tracing is necessary, we take many variables into consideration when identifying close contacts.
