Dear Families, Employees and Community Members,
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” These are some of the many words of wisdom Martin Luther King, Jr. left us to ponder. I wish I could talk to Dr. King about everything that is happening in the world around us, from the pandemic and the attack on our Capitol to protests and this week’s inauguration of our 46th President. Dr. King had a way of being optimistic even in the face of daunting adversity. “We must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future,” he said.
For many of us, change is quite difficult. More than ever before, it seems that sweeping changes have been taking place in our lives daily – from those who have lost a loved one to the pandemic to those who are troubled while watching the news each day. I wish I had answers. I can’t say if and when things will be “normal” again. But, like Dr. King, I have faith that, together, we will continue to move forward, lift one another up and grow in spite of the many challenges we are facing.
As we shared on January 7, Governor DeWine announced that Ohio is looking to change its guidance regarding quarantines following in-classroom exposure in K-12 schools or required school transportation based upon an evaluation of virus spread in Ohio schools conducted by researchers with the Ohio Schools COVID-19 Evaluation Team. We have now received word from the Wood County Health Department about how Perrysburg Schools may operationalize this new guidance.
School districts may choose to follow the new guidelines as spelled out by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) or stay with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 6-foot guidelines that were followed in Ohio previously. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) guidance intends to rely on the AAP guidance that differentiates the distancing requirements for elementary schools from middle/high schools.
At this time, we are prepared to follow the quarantine guidance as outlined below.
Grades 7-12
- NO CHANGE to the distancing requirement for quarantine for middle and high school settings. The rule remains 6 feet of distance.
Grades K-6
- Students in grades K-6 will now be considered a close contact if they are within 3 feet of a COVID-19 positive person in the classroom and bus ONLY (this was previously 6 feet), but 6 feet is still preferred as a social distancing rule.
- Recess, hallways, lunch, physical education, snack time or any other activity outside of the classroom or bus will continue to have a 6 foot rule.
- This means we will have two sets of questions when doing contact tracing when an individual is COVID-19 positive. 1) Who was within 3 feet in the classroom/bus for more than 15 minutes? 2) Who was within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes in all of the other spaces?
- In summary, what is changing is the definition of a close contact in grades K-6 only, which will now be only those who were within 3 feet in the classroom or bus (instead of 6 feet) for at least 15 minutes (or within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes in other spaces), but once considered a close contact by this new definition, they will still be required to quarantine as they have in the past. Those who were between 3 and 6 feet away for any time period will no longer be required to quarantine.
Preschool
Bussing
- We will not need to quarantine any HPI students who ride the bus as it stands right now. They are all 3 feet apart.
- The elementary buses have 2 students per seat. We would now only need to quarantine the students directly in front, behind and across from a COVID-19 positive individual.
- Junior high and preschool remain the same guidance. 6 feet of distance is required.
As we emerge from the darkness caused by this pandemic and collectively look forward to the spring, literally and symbolically, I am reminded of a quote from Victor Hugo: “If people did not love one another, I really don’t see what use there would be in having any spring.” Thanks for your continued patience and understanding as we navigate this latest round of changes.
Peace,
Tom H.
Thomas L. Hosler
Superintendent
Perrysburg Schools