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8354 Cappy Lane, Swartz Creek, MI 48473 Phone: (810) 591-2300 Fax: (810) 591-2784

Updated SCCS COVID-19 Guidelines

Swartz Creek Families,

Good morning! I wanted to provide you with some updated information about our COVID-19 practices and guidelines for how we are handling isolation and quarantines that affect your children. The district’s goal has consistently been to keep kids in school as much as possible while maintaining a safe environment for everyone. This new guidance from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), the Genesee County Health Department (GCHD), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), vastly improves our ability to keep kids in school while maintaining the guidelines they have set forth. There has been and continues to be much complexity to these processes, but I will try to simplify this communication to explain how we will handle these things under the latest public health orders. This morning, the GCHD issued a new public health order titled, “Isolation and Quarantine Order in Educational Settings.”  I have attached the order in its entirety here:

GCHD ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE ORDER IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS 

https://4.files.edl.io/91ea/01/14/22/135645-349a621b-3121-46e9-9ea6-fc752d5504e9.pdf

SCCS will be following their guidance and here are the major takeaways that will impact how we operate moving forward:

  1. Isolation vs. Quarantine - Definitions

  • You isolate  when you are already infected with COVID-19 and have tested positive, even if you do not have symptoms. Isolation is used to separate people who are infected with COVID-19 from those who are not infected.  

  • You quarantine when you might have been exposed to COVID-19. This is because you might become infected with COVID-19 and could spread COVID-19 to others.

  1. Isolation Guidelines - For Individuals who Test Positive for COVID-19

  • Student or staff member must isolate for a minimum of five (5) days after either symptom onset or positive test result.

  • After five (5) days, a person may end their isolation period if they have no symptoms or if symptoms are resolving, including no fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.

  • Persons ending isolation at five (5) must continue to wear a well-fitting mask for an additional five (5) days following the isolation period when around others.

  • These students or staff may not participate in activities until day 11 if, for safety or other reasons, they are unable to remain masked for that activity.

  • If individuals cannot wear a mask or have a mask exemption, they cannot return to school until 10 days have passed.

  1. Quarantine Guidelines - For People Who Are a Close Contact of an Infected Individual

  • Students and staff members who are close contacts of COVID-19 cases and are exposed may continue to attend school if they are masked and:

    • Test negative on days 1, 3, and 5 after the close contact. 

    • These students and staff must remain asymptomatic and must wear a tightly fitted face mask over their nose and mouth when around others for an additional five (5) days (days 6-10).

  • The following staff or students who are close contacts of COVID-19 cases do not need to quarantine or test:

    • Persons who had documented laboratory-confirmed or probable COVID-19 illness within the past 90 days and have recovered and remain without COVID-19 symptoms. 

    • Persons without COVID-19 symptoms who are fully vaccinated in accordance with CDC guidance. However, these persons must wear a face mask around others for 10 days and test 5 days after exposure if possible.

  1. Antigen Testing

  • SCCS continues to offer antigen testing as part of our safety measures. We recently have received shipments of tests and are ready to help support keeping our students in school by testing regularly on days 1, 3, and 5. Antigen testing is offered at each building before school.

  1. Masking

  • Many of these procedures are possible because currently, we are in a district-required mask mandate. The district’s position is that we want to keep students in school as much as reasonably possible, and extending our mask policy while cases and spread is high allows for us to be in school without excessive quarantines. In light of this, the SCCS Board of Education recently voted to extend our mask mandate through February 17, 2022. At that time, masks will revert to highly recommended unless further action is taken, or additional orders implemented.

  1. Vaccinations

  • If you are interested in getting yourself or your student vaccinated, the GCHD offers regular vaccination clinics. To find a clinic at a date, time, and location that works for you, follow this link:

GCHD VACCINATION CLINICS

We are very grateful for your support of our staff as we manage this very challenging situation. We are hopeful that we can continue to get through this period of high levels of infection and keep our children in school.