By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The USD 431 Board of Education revised part of
their COVID-19 protocol Thursday morning after seeing a spike in students and
staff members either sick or quarantined.
Roosevelt Elementary School in
Hoisington has been hit the hardest with 35 students out of school, including a
full classroom. Of the 35 students, 12 are sick and 23 are quarantined because
of close contact with a positive case.
USD 431 Superintendent Patrick Crowdis
said the Hoisington school district will provide COVID testing to students and
staff looking to come back to school following quarantines.
"We'll set up stations at each building to do the testing," said
Crowdis. "The testing would be a swab on the inside of the nose...it's
not way back in the back. We would not do any testing unless there was
an actual signed verification from parents."
Any lab-confirmed case of COVID-19 will result in an isolation for a minimum of
10 days. Close contacts within three feet of a lab-confirmed case for longer
than 10 minutes will quarantine for at least three days. If the student or
staff member is asymptomatic and receives a negative result on a test on day
three, they can return to school on day four.
Hoisington Activities Director
Faron Kraft was concerned how the rule was going to be enforced regarding
sports and other extracurricular activities.
"I'm speaking as an AD and also as a dad that had a son lose six weeks
last year and never once had a symptom," said Kraft. "If they have to
sit three days, you could sit an entire quiz bowl team, volleyball team
or whatever activity because one person tested positive."
The board noted administration will make determinations on close contacts based
on seating charts and interactions during sports or activities.
Asymptomatic
students that are considered close contacts will have to quarantine the full 10
days if parents choose to not get tested.
Masks are still optional at school
but temperature checks will be administered when a student enters the building
at the beginning of the day and going through the lunch line.
Along
with the 35 students, there were eight staff members out of school at
Roosevelt as of Thursday morning. There are 14 out at Lincoln Elementary
School, including three positive cases. There are 13 staff and students
out at the middle school with one positive case. The high school has
four positive cases and nine quarantined.
You can view the
full Hoisington COVID-19 protocol below.
