The School District of Washington’s Board of Education held its monthly meeting on Wednesday evening, January 27. Among items on the agenda was reviewing and discussing the current academic schedule.
After much discussion during the meeting and the review of data, the Board voted to make the transition from Scenario 2 (hybrid 7-12 only), to Scenario 1 (on campus/in person).
Beginning on Tuesday, February 16, all K-12 students will be on campus for in-person instruction five days a week. Elementary students already have been in-person for five days.
If students or parents do not feel comfortable attending in-person five days, online coursework is still available. Please contact your building principal for those details.
The School District of Washington and Board of Education will need to remain flexible and cannot rule out adjusting the schedule as the situation may require at any time.
Additionally, the Board also voted to begin following Missouri guidelines starting on Monday, February 1.
Under the state’s guidance, proper mask wearing may now prevent individuals from being identified as close contacts in K-12 schools that have implemented a mask mandate. This means that if both individuals at school – the person diagnosed with COVID-19 and the person exposed to the positive case – have face coverings on and are wearing them correctly, the individual exposed does not need to quarantine from school during the school day. The determination on quarantine rules will be interpreted by our contact tracers in conjunction with the health department.
Exposed individuals should self-monitor for symptoms and stay home at the first sign of illness. They should also continue to wear a face covering at all times to further reduce the likelihood of transmitting the virus. The person who tests positive for COVID-19 is still required to isolate at home.
It is imperative that all staff and K-12 students in the School District of Washington wear face coverings properly to avoid possible quarantine scenarios.