Jackson County schools eliminate ‘quarantine classrooms’ but still defy health guidance
Jackson County School District has loosened its COVID-19 procedures as 3.98% of Mississippi’s fourth largest school district students are reportedly out of school because of positive cases.
New measures announced Tuesday made one change to a former policy, which said students who may have been exposed to COVID would quarantine in designated classrooms without contact with non-exposed students throughout the school day.
But as of Tuesday, the district will no longer isolate students in school who are symptom free after an exposure to the virus, according to a press release.
Both measures defy CDC and state health department guidance, however.
Parents are allowed to keep students home during the isolation period under the district’s previous and new rules. And while kids who stay at home are not allowed to participate in extracurricular activities, those who attend class are.
“It seemed like the numbers of the quarantine students who were positive was the same as non-quarantined students,” Superintendent Dr. John Strycker said in an interview on Tuesday. “We were quarantining them for no reason other than it was because of state guidance. What’s better for the kids is for them to go back to their regular classes.”
The changes come as the school district has been using the quarantine classrooms since the beginning of the school year, allowing the exposed students to participate in extracurricular activities, sports and use school-wide transportation.
The school district’s new and former in-school isolation measures go against state health department guidelines. Strycker said he was aware of his district’s departure from that guidance.
Quarantine is defined as “exclusion from the school setting,” according to State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers. That means keeping exposed and positive students at home.
Health department guidance calls for at least seven days of quarantine for all unvaccinated close contacts of someone who tests positive for COVID-19, unless both parties were masked.
Stryker said he would not consider a mandatory at-home quarantine for students who may have been exposed to COVID because of the student’s mental health and learning success.
The superintendent said that parents want their children back in school as well — when notified that their children may have been exposed to COVID, most send them back anyway.
“The kids are better off in school,” he said. “The majority of parents send them back.”
JCSD’s updated guidance states also that students will receive temperature and symptom checks throughout the school day and for extracurricular activities. The district will also continue sanitation in classrooms throughout the school day, at lunch and at extracurricular activities.
“During this transition from in-school isolation to home isolation, teachers/students will utilize technology as necessary. As we finalize our virtual learning plan, there will be more details to work out,” Strycker wrote in the press release.
“While we understand there are differing points of view regarding such a polarizing subject, I want to express how deeply we all care for our students and are doing our very best to provide a safe, educational environment. We also feel strongly that no one loves children more than parents; therefore, we will continue to allow parents the opportunity to make the best choice for their families regarding masks and vaccines.”
This article is supported by the Journalism and Public Information Fund, a fund of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
This story was originally published August 24, 2021 at 3:12 PM.
