As the rate of positive COVID-19 cases continues to slow in the state and county, Brown County students and staff will no longer be required to wear masks at school.
Superintendent Emily Tracy announced on Feb. 17 that wearing masks in Brown County Schools buildings will now be optional following a revision to state contact tracing and quarantine requirements for schools. Due to federal requirements, masks will remain required for students and staff on school buses.
On Feb. 17, the Indiana Department of Health announced changes to its COVID-19 guidance for schools and child care programs “to reflect declining cases across the state,” according to a press release.
Beginning this week 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.
A 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.
“I want to reiterate that it is optional. Any kiddo who would like to have a mask and wear a mask we will support that. If any kiddo needs a mask we have lots of masks we’ve been providing,” Tracy said during the Feb. 17 Brown County School Board of Trustees meeting.
At the meeting, Tracy reported that since the last board meeting on Feb. 10 the district had reported two additional positive COVID-19 cases.
“That data is trending in a very positive direction for us, so we’re excited about that. Across the entire district we are only counting 28 of any of our building population across the entire district who are even showing symptoms. Those percentages are very, very low,” she said.
Last August when the school board voted unanimously to approve the requirement that all students and staff mask up regardless of their vaccination status the district had been reporting positive cases daily since the first day of school on Aug. 4.
The district’s educational service delivery plan was initially approved last July and did not require masks for students and staff; it only recommended them for those who were not vaccinated.
But on the first day of school, the school district had its first COVID-19 positive case. Another case was reported the next day, and by Aug. 6 there were four additional cases. Four more in three schools were reported on Aug. 13.
Nearly 60 people filled the Brown County High School cafeteria last August for a special school board meeting called to approve changes to the educational service delivery plan. Thirteen parents and grandparents spoke in opposition to requiring masks. Another six spoke in support of the district’s policy changes.
Those against the requirement continued to attend meetings into the fall to question the board about their decision and request it be lifted.
At the beginning of the school year Brown County Middle School, Van Buren Elementary School and Helmsburg Elementary School all had to close for a period of time and switch to remote learning due to the spread of COVID symptoms, cases or contacts within the building.
In September, the school board approved more changes to the educational service delivery plan, including removing the metric tracking the percentage of a building population absent due to active exposure cases. The board also approved only considering a school building for closure if 16% of the building population is reporting COVID-19 symptoms for at least two days. Previously a building would be closed if 20% or more of the building population was absent due to testing positive for COVID-19, having symptoms, being identified as a close contact or were awaiting test results.
No buildings have been closed so far this winter due to COVID-19 under the new metrics.
A school will be closed under the school district’s educational service delivery plan when 16% or more of the building population is reporting symptoms of COVID-19.
As of Feb. 18, every school building had less than 2% of its population reporting COVID-19 symptoms.
The school district will continue to track positive cases as they are reported by parents on the daily metric report located on the school district’s website. Tracking the percentage of building populations reporting COVID-19 symptoms will continue, Tracy said.
County check in
The slowing of the surge continues to be evident at the county level, too.
From Feb. 10 to 17, the county reported an additional 15 positive cases. This is a steep decline from the rate of positive cases reported in January. Then from Jan. 5 to 12, the county reported 111 positive COVID-19 cases, which was one of the biggest jumps in positive cases reported in one week since March 2020.
The following week, from Jan. 12 to 19, the county reported an additional 121 positive COVID-19 cases. Another 126 positive cases were reported from Jan. 20 to 27.
But a downward trend began at the end of last month. From Feb. 3 to Feb. 10 the county reported 28 positive cases and continues to decline.
As of Feb. 16 , the county was moved down to the “orange” status due to COVID-19 spread on the ISDH spread metric map. The county had remained in the red advisory level, which is the highest of four, since the beginning of January when positive cases began to increase.
The county will be at a red advisory level for two weeks before officially moving down to orange. More counties were also moved to the orange and yellow statuses last week.
The ISDH updates the county-by-county status map at coronavirus.in.gov each Wednesday at noon based on positive test numbers and whether or not cases are increasing or decreasing.
One new death was reported on Feb. 15, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths to 60 people.
Last week, ISDH reported that the state’s positivity rate had fallen from 33.6% on Jan. 19 to 13.1% on Feb. 16. Demand for testing also has fallen significantly.
The county’s Emergency Health Preparedness Coordinator Corey Frost said the health department continues to see under 10 appointments for testing per day and that it appears the “slowing down trend” is continuing locally.
