USD 333 board adopts COVID-19 response policy

The Concordia Unified School District 333 board of education, during a special meeting on Tuesday night, approved adopting a COVID-19 response policy “Concordia Test to Stay, Teach, Learn, Play & Participate.”
Designed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), the policy is to help ensure that schools can provide the most normal school experience inside and outside of the classroom. That includes participation in extracurricular activities and school-based events with the least amount of disruptions.
The program applies only to those students, parents and staff who opt in.
KDHE was awarded a federal cooperative agreement in April 2021 in the amount of $97 million.
Approximately $74 million of the funds received by KDHE will go directly to school districts to increase COVID-19 testing in pre-K through 12th grade and and school-affiliated summer programs and camps.
The purpose of the funding is to provide safe, in-person instruction in schools.
KDHE worked with an advisory group of superintendents, teachers, staff, school nurses, coaches and others to design three different testing plans and one vaccine plan for schools to consider.
School districts, or individual schools, can adopt any or all of the plans and can adopt any or all of the strategies within a plan.
KDHE recommends that school districts work with local health departments to ensure that any plans are approved by the local health officer.
The plan adopted by the USD 333 board of education states that if a susceptible close contact is identified, the close contact may to continue to participate in school and activities in person if they are tested daily during the quarantine period. If the close contact tests positive they will isolate at home. If the close contact is negative they may continue in-person participation. The Cloud County Health  Department will determine if symptomatic close contacts may continue in-person learning if negative.
A close contact is defined as someone within six feet of someone who has COVID-19, for 15 minutes or more, and someone who provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19.
Those who are identified as close contacts can be tested at school for seven days or can receive daily testing from the health department or a licensed physician.
The quarantine options for those who do not opt in to the testing program and are identified as a close contact include:
If vaccinated or wearing a mask no quarantine is necessary; quarantine at home for 10 days from last exposure, if there are no symptoms return on day 11; quarantine at home for seven days, if there are no symptoms on day six get a PCR test on day six or seven and if it is negative return on day eight; get a nasal swab for the seven days after exposure at school and if it is negative they are able to go to school and activities that day.
For those who test positive for COVID-19, the health department will provide guidance on quarantine and the student's return.
KNCK news director Toby Nosker reported that during the board meeting superintendent of schools Quentin Breese reported that there was a positive case of COVID-19 identified on the Concordia Junior High School football team and that several members of the student body have been placed in quarantine.