Jan 11, 2022

Hays USD 489 changes COVID policy to reflect CDC guidelines

Posted Jan 11, 2022 12:01 PM
The USD 489 Hays school board Monday at its work session.<br>
The USD 489 Hays school board Monday at its work session.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The Hays USD 489 school district has changed its COVID policy to better reflect the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control.

The most significant change is reducing isolation from 10 to five days if a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19.

The district is also increasing the number of individuals from 35 to 50 in the district testing positive that would trigger a district-wide mask mandate. Fifty students equals about 1.5 percent of the student population.

The changes were made based upon recommendations from the Ellis County Health Department.

"We are definitely not trying to be more restrictive. We are trying to be less restrictive," Superintendent Ron Wilson told the Hays school board at a work session on Monday.

Although cases are on the rise in Ellis County, Wilson said the district is not seeing spread within schools. Eighty-nine new COVID cases were reported in Ellis County between Friday and Monday.

The schools continue to contact trace. Wilson said the district will continue to monitor the situation and revisit the policy if necessary.

"COVID has been hard on kids and hard on staff," Wilson said. "We're trying to figure out how to be practical and still how to be responsible and keep everybody safe. It's a balancing act."

New USD 489 guidelines based on the new CDC guidelines

If you test positive for COVID-19 (regardless of vaccination status):
• Stay home for five days.
• If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving after five days, you can leave your house.
• Must be fever free for 72 hours without fever reducing medication.
•  Controlled cough (the school does not provide cough drops)
• Must continue to wear a mask around others (this includes school) for five additional days.
• Check in with nurse daily.

If you were exposed to someone by a household contact and are unvaccinated and have not had COVID within this school year:
• Quarantine five days.
• Can test on day five. If no symptoms on day five and negative test, can return to school with mask.
• Daily check in with nurse
• If you develop symptoms, stay home and get tested.

If you were exposed to someone by a school contact and are unvaccinated and have not had COVID within this school year:
• Wear a mask around others for 10 days from last contact.
• Can test on day five. If no symptoms on day five and negative test, can stop wearing a mask.
• Daily check in with nurse
• If you develop symptoms, stay home and get tested.

**Those who have had COVID this school year (with a known positive test) will not need to quarantine unless symptomatic.

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