Middletown officials and those at other area school systems have in recent weeks expressed concerns about the winter holiday break may bring a coronavirus “super spreader” spike from family gatherings and travel.
On Dec. 30, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a new quarantine option for schools allowing for students and teachers who meet the definition of a close contact - being within 6 feet of a COVID-infected person for 15 minutes or more - no longer have to quarantine if the contact occurred in a school classroom and if all parties were masked at the time.
But Middletown Health Commissioner Jackie Phillips and city school officials said their discussions, along with input from teachers, staffers, school families, led them to stay with the 14-day quarantine recommended earlier in 2020 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Phillips said she “considers the CDC recommendation of the 14-day quarantine the gold standard, which is what we have been recommending to all Middletown citizens since the beginning of this pandemic.”
Phillips said she and Middletown Schools Superintendent Marlon Styles Jr. have continued their practice since the onset of the coronavirus in March 2020 of remaining in “regular contact” in exchanging communications about the impact of virus on the schools.
In a statement released this week by Middletown Schools, officials said “after consulting with our local health officials, reviewing the CDC guidelines, and discussing with our school leaders, (Middletown Schools) made the decision to stay with our current safety protocols including the 14-day quarantine.”
Students in the city district are attending classes on a hybrid schedule with Wednesdays being an all-remote school day for all students.
Elizabeth Beadle, spokeswoman for the schools, said the district’s school board plans to revisit the issue later this month to discuss any possible changes in quarantine procedures.
“Everything we do is for the safety of our students, staff and school families,” said Beadle, who said regular feedback from those groups helped district officials to hold to the two-week quarantines.
She said comments from school families on district social media sites about the policy have been overwhelmingly supportive.
“We feel like we have a pretty good feeling for the pulse of the community,” Beadle said.
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