Masks will now be optional for students and staff starting today in Brown County Schools.
The change was announced by Superintendent Emily Tracy yesterday following a revision to state contact tracing and quarantine requirements for schools.
The Indiana Department of Health announced changes the same day, Feb. 17, to its COVID-19 guidance for schools and child care programs “to reflect declining cases across the state,” according to the press release.
Beginning on Feb. 23, schools will no longer be required to conduct contact tracing or report positive cases to the state department of health.
Schools will still be expected to continue assisting local health departments by notifying them of an outbreak or cluster of positive cases in a school. The schools are “encouraged to continue to share information with families when a case is identified so parents can monitor their children for symptoms,” the release states.
Students who are exposed to a positive COVID-19 case will no longer have to quarantine regardless of their vaccination status or the school district’s mask policy.
This is a change from two sets of guidance released in January by the state department of health to schools for isolation and quarantine for school districts with and without a mask requirement.
The state department of health also advises that anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should isolate for five days and may return on the sixth day if they have been fever-free for 24 hours without using medication as long as symptoms are improving, which is in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control.
Negative test or doctor’s note is also no longer required to return to school.
Anyone who tests positive should also still wear a mask through day 10 any time they are around others inside their homes or in public, the release states.
If schools are made aware of a positive case, “sharing the potential exposure with students/families can emphasize the importance of observation for symptoms associated with COVID-19,” according to the updated school guidance from the state.
Quarantine requirements were also lifted for children exposed to COVID-19 at a child care program. A child who tests positive for COVID-19 should isolate at home for five days regardless of symptoms. A child who can “correctly and consistently” mask may return to their child care program on the sixth day. For those who cannot it is recommended by the state for the child to return on the eighth day.
If a child wishes to wear a mask in Brown County schools they can still do so. Masks will be available by contacting the front office at any school building.
Due to federal requirements, masks will remain required for students and staff on school buses.
