January 10, 2022

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we return back to school from break we want to communicate a few important items relating to our daily operations. First, we will continue to monitor our absenteeism rates of our students and staff at the building and district levels daily. It is our goal to maintain in-person learning each and every day for the remainder of the school year. In order for this to happen, we will need to successfully meet some of the challenges that lie ahead of us. Those challenges include adhering to our safety protocols put in place as well as our ability to effectively staff our daily operations in our district.

Please read through the information below from our nurses in relation to the latest guidelines released by the CDC and supported by the Ohio Department of Health and the Allen County Health Department.

Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, the CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days.

What to do if you test positive for Covid-19:

•      Stay home for the next five days regardless of symptoms or vaccination status. •      Stay away from other people as much as possible (including those in your own
home).
•	If you can't stay away from other people, wear a three-layer mask.
•	On Day 6 if you do not have a fever & other symptoms are better: Resume activities in a mask for the next 5 days, OR
•	On Day 6 if you still have a fever and your other symptoms are not better, stay home until your fever is gone and other symptoms are better. Then wear a mask for the next 5 days.

Additionally, the CDC is updating the recommended quarantine period for those exposed to COVID-19.

EXPOSURE to someone with Covid-19 (and you are unvaccinated, or your vaccines are not up-to-date with the series, or if it has been longer than 6 months since your series):

•	Stay home for five days after your last exposure, then wear a mask around others for the next five days.
•	Test on Day 5 (is advised).
•	If you develop symptoms or test positive, stay home.

EXPOSURE to someone with Covid-19 and your vaccines are up-to-date, or you had a confirmed case of Covid-19 within the past 3 months:

•	Wear a mask around others for 10 days after your last exposure. •	Test on Day five (is advised).
•	If you develop symptoms or test positive, stay home.

Alternatively, if a 5-day quarantine is not feasible (when there is an exposure outside the household setting), it is imperative that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure. For all those exposed, best practice would also include a test for SARS-CoV-2 at Day 5 after exposure. If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19.

Isolation relates to behavior after a confirmed infection. Isolation for 5 days followed by wearing a well-fitting mask will minimize the risk of spreading the virus to others.

Quarantine refers to the time following exposure to the virus or close contact with someone known to have COVID-19.

Both updates come as the Omicron variant continues to spread throughout the U.S. and reflects the current science on when and for how long a person is maximally infectious. Our nurses will continue to make decisions for the betterment of your child(ren) based upon this most recent information. As a reminder, please keep your child(ren) at home if they do not feel well and/or are exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

Finally, thank you to those community members that have come forward to help substitute teach and/or drive bus for us! You are SO appreciated! However, we find ourselves still in need for both, especially driving bus as we have a few retirements upcoming and will be short drivers in the very near future. We will have times when bus routes to and from school will not be covered in a timely fashion as well as some field trips being delayed or postponed due to a lack of drivers. We apologize for this

inconvenience and will continue to regularly assess our situation trying to minimize disruptions as much as possible as well as notifying you of changes as soon as possible. These shortages are commonplace across the state and the nation and we thank you in advance for your patience and flexibility.

If you can help us with substitute teaching and/or bus driving, please read through the following information and contact the appropriate people as soon as you can. To substitute teach, a person must be a high school graduate and pass a criminal background check and obtain a license through the state of Ohio. Please contact the Allen County ESC at 419-222-1836 and press #1 for the administration office if you are willing to substitute teach. If you wish to become a substitute bus driver, please contact our Transportation Supervisor, Keanna McNamara at 419-221-0807 extension 6160. Thank you for all you do for your child(ren)! Wishing you a healthy, safe New Year!

Rich Dackin, Superintendent