Woodhaven-Brownstown School District issued the following announcement on Aug. 27.
It is hard to believe that summer break is coming to an end and that the first day of school, September 7, is right around the corner. This communication contains important updates and requirements regarding our delivery of in-person education for the 2021/22 school year.
On Friday, August 27, 2021, the Wayne County Health Department issued an emergency order making the use of facemasks a requirement in all K-12 schools in Wayne County.
As such, masks are required of all students, staff, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, for all grades pre-K through 12, in all WBSD buildings. During the 2020/21 school year, the WBSD experienced little, if any, issues related to the wearing of facemasks during the school day.
I expect the start of the 2021/22 school year to be very much the same, with the added benefit of new exceptions to close-contact quarantines: An individual identified as a close-contact to a positive COVID-19 case is required to 10-day self-quarantine EXCEPT when one (1) of the following situations applies:
- the individual had a positive COVID (PCR) test within the past five (5) months, OR
- the individual has completed the vaccination protocol and more than two (2) weeks have passed since the last dose, and the individual is asymptomatic, OR
- the exposure occurred only in the classroom while both individuals were masked and sitting at least three (3) feet apart, and the close-contact remains asymptomatic and closely monitors for symptoms Our priority in the WBSD is to keep our students engaged in in-person learning for the duration of the school year, in an accepting and inclusive environment for all.
Based on the information provided by local health experts, the combination of mask use and new close-contact protocols should keep most of our students out of quarantine and able to participate in the classroom, as well as in extra-curricular and athletic activities.
Additional Mitigation Strategies to Support In-Person Learning
The WBSD community shares in the importance of students participating in an in-person learning environment. Families can support our efforts to keep our students in school all year long through the following actions: - complete the COVID-19 screening tool on a daily basis, - keep children home from school if they are sick and/or displaying COVID-19 symptoms, - have your child wear a mask to school each day; masks will be made available in all of our facilities for those that need one, - practice proper handwashing frequently; hand sanitizing stations are available in all schools, classrooms, and buses.
The WBSD will implement our enhanced cleaning protocols and practice appropriate social distancing. All athletic and extracurricular programs will continue to follow MHSAA guidelines. As always, we will work closely with the Wayne County Health Department, local health officials, and our school nurse in determining the best safety protocols for our school district. Additional information regarding the WBSD COVID-19 Preparedness Plan and Virtual Learning opportunities are available at www.mywbsd.org under COVID-19 Resource Center.
We continue to very much look forward to the start of the 2021-22 school year! We’re thrilled to share that the WBSD is now a true one-to-one technology district, with more information to come next week.
Thank you for your continued support and trust in the Woodhaven-Brownstown School District; please know we will be RELENTLESS in providing our students with the best educational experience possible.
Original source can be found here.
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