Important Update from Dr. Cain

The St. Charles County Department of Public Health has released updated guidance advising that we follow a “Modified Quarantine Plan” in our schools as outlined by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. County superintendents have been working in conjunction with SCCDPH officials since the announcement from the MDHSS and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education earlier this month, to ensure we have the appropriate protocols in place to adhere to the modified guidance.

As announced today by St. Charles County, the Modified Quarantine Protocols for Contacts in Schools will begin on Monday, November 30. Under the new guidelines:

• Students and staff exposed to a positive individual at school (during the instructional day) when both are properly wearing masks will receive a modified quarantine. During their modified quarantine, they will be allowed to go to school with a mask, but will also be instructed to remain quarantined at home when not in school.

• Students and staff with a modified quarantine should not participate in any extracurricular activity, go to anyone else’s home, or go anywhere in public that is not their school for the singular purpose of classroom education and transportation to and from school.

• The parents of children with a modified quarantine will be asked to monitor for the development of symptoms and report symptoms to their child's school and the Department of Public Health. Students and staff with this modified quarantine who develop COVID-19 symptoms should revert to a standard quarantine and stay home.

• Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19, or meet the probable case definition of COVID-19, will be isolated at home and should not be at school during their infectious period.

• The standard quarantine still applies to anyone exposed outside of school hours or exposed in any situation where masks were not properly used.

• Staff and students under a current standard quarantine need to adhere to their current release date.

Please note, our contact tracing efforts will continue, unchanged, and staff and students will still be notified if they have been in close contact with an individual who has tested positive. They will also still be required to quarantine for 14 days; the only change is that the student or staff member will be permitted to come to school or work in the WSD during their modified quarantine.

Now more than ever, it is imperative that we all continue to follow universal precautions to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Please remember to:

• Regularly screen yourself and your children for COVID-19 symptoms and stay home if you are ill;

• Practice social distancing whenever and wherever possible;

• Keep your cohort group small; the more people with whom you come in contact, the greater your risk of exposure;

• Wash and/or sanitize your hands often and well;

• Properly wear an effective mask.

This continues to be a very challenging and unprecedented school year. Navigating the pandemic is difficult for everyone and I appreciate that there are wide-ranging viewpoints as to what may be the best approach. Our responsibility and focus remains the same: to meet the educational needs of our students and provide a safe and healthy working and learning environment. We will also continue to follow the guidance of our local health officials, as we have since the start of the pandemic earlier this year.

Lastly, I want you to know how grateful I am for our dedicated staff, our outstanding students, and for your continued support and understanding. We are all managing our way through a very difficult year. If we continue to work together, we can ensure the safety of our students, our staff, each other, and the community.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Curtis Cain, Ph.D.

Superintendent