Message from Mr. Murphy Regarding Quarantines:
Ohio's COVID numbers seem to be trending in the right direction, and we are thankful for that. Now that we are back in-person at school, our goal is to keep everyone here! Until COVID is gone, we will continue to address close contact quarantine situations.
Being forced to quarantine, especially repeatedly, can be devastating. We recognize the stress, frustration, hardship this can cause. None of us wants to make these types of calls, and our promise is to approach quarantining with care, sensitivity, and dignity.
The most recent quarantine protocol from the Ohio Department of Health permits students or adults who are deemed "close contacts" to continue attending school as long as a number of factors are met: exposure occurred in a classroom or school bus; masks were worn the entire time, proper distancing was maintained, etc. Although the close contact may continue attending school, the individual is not permitted to participate in extracurricular activities or athletics during the quarantine period.
We believe the above, new protocol potentially sends conflicting messages and results in confusion. Tusky Valley has consistently followed the previous guidelines which quarantined close contacts from school AND extracurricular activities. This still remains the 'gold standard' recommendation for the safety of everyone involved.
Moving forward, however, we will adjust to the new quarantine protocol and give individuals deemed as close contacts in the school environment the OPTION to be fully quarantined (school and extracurriculars) or partially quarantined (extracurriculars only) for the designated quarantine period. Nurse Crank will fully explain the parameters, benefits, and risks involved when making the determination.
I cannot thank you enough for your continued support and understanding as we work through these challenges. If you have questions, or if we can help you and your family, please reach out to Nurse Crank, your building principal, or me.