COVID quarantines force Coast district to dismiss early for Christmas. There’s a catch
A Mississippi Coast school district is releasing early for Christmas break because of a rise in student quarantines during the coronavirus pandemic.
Sandra Reed, the Bay-Waveland School District superintendent, said on Facebook Monday that “a number of these COVID-19 quarantines are completely avoidable” and students will have to make up the extra time off at a later date.
“I would urge you to exhibit healthy behaviors over the holiday so that we can have a safe return in January and not have to extend the school year any further,” Reed said in a school district Facebook post.
Students should report to class for a normal school day Tuesday. Early dismissal will occur Wednesday:
- Waveland Elementary will dismiss at 11:35 a.m.
- Bay-Waveland Middle School will dismiss at 12:25 p.m.
- Bay High School will release at 12:05 a.m.
Reed urged students to social distance, wear a mask and avoid large crowds over the holiday.
“I realize this is difficult but we all want to be able to return to school on Monday, January 4, in a safe way,” Reed said
State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs was the first Mississippian to get the COVID-19 vaccine. He got the shot on live video to show residents that the vaccine is safe.
“If you have the opportunity, you ought to get it while you can,” he said.
Dobbs also warned of what’s coming after a surge of new coronavirus cases following the Thanksgiving holiday.
“It’s ugly right now and it’s about to get a whole lot uglier,” he said. “We will see a whole avalanche of folks hitting the health care system soon, so I just want everybody to understand that we are going to have a rough winter.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 6:25 PM.
