Sycamore Community Schools recently shared updated guidelines from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) regarding close contact tracing and the need to quarantine. Since sharing this information with you on Wednesday, the state has provided additional recommendations. Please review Sycamore Community Schools’ new guidelines. The additional changes to what the district shared previously are in bold below.

• If a student or staff member is exposed in a traditional classroom setting or on the bus, to someone with COVID-19, the individual does not need to quarantine as long as masking and other safety and health protocols were followed. Sycamore Community Schools will continue to adhere to our Healthy Aves social distancing protocols of 3-6 feet for students and 6 feet for adults.

• If a student or staff member is exposed in a traditional classroom and safety protocols have not been followed (e.g., students or adults in the classroom did not properly wear masks), the individual must quarantine for 14-days from the date of exposure.

• If a student or staff member is exposed to COVID-19 outside the traditional classroom setting, such as at lunch where students are unmasked and not six feet apart, sports practice, etc. the individual must quarantine for 14 days from the date of exposure. The revised guidelines above only apply in traditional classroom settings.

• If a student or staff member is exposed to COVID-19 outside of school, the individual must quarantine for 14 days from the date of exposure.

• Current health department guidance indicates students who are exposed in a traditional classroom or on the bus do not need to quarantine and are allowed to continue to attend after school activities.

In all cases of potential exposure, Sycamore Community Schools will continue to consult with Hamilton County Public Health for guidance. The district will also continue to conduct contact tracing and notify anyone who is determined to be a close contact and whether they will need to quarantine or can continue to come to school and work. The district will continue to adhere to all health and safety protocols outlined in our Healthy Aves Plan, including following our social distancing guidelines of 3-6 feet.

We will continue to follow the same protocols for notification of confirmed cases and close contacts who must quarantine. Close contacts who do not need to quarantine will be notified via email only.

The new ODH recommended protocols were updated based on consultation with many resources, including a preliminary evaluation of K-12 school students conducted by the Ohio Schools COVID-19 Evaluation Team (OSCE). It showed that, in a supervised classroom setting, there was no discernible difference in rates of COVID-19 among students who were close contacts with someone with COVID-19 and students in the same grade who were not close contacts.

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• Butler County: 844-427-4747

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