COVID Updates - January 11, 2022
Updates to Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines
We have received confirmation from Washington County Public Health Oregon Department of Education that our district can begin implementation of the newest isolation and quarantine guidelines for K-12 schools. Effective immediately, our district will adopt the following updated guidelines:
Isolation - Individuals with confirmed or presumptive positive cases
Individuals can end isolation after 5 full days since symptom onset if they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and their other symptoms have improved. For asymptomatic individuals with a positive test result, this period of isolation will be for 5 full days after the date of their positive test result.
Day 0 is the day symptoms began or the day the person took a test that had a positive result. Day 1 is the day after symptoms began or, if a person does not have symptoms, the day after the person tested positive.
If individuals in isolation continue to have a fever, or symptoms have not improved after 5 days of isolation, that individual should continue their isolation until they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and their other symptoms have improved.
Individuals leaving isolation should continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others at home or in public places for an additional 5 days (days 6-10) after the end of their 5-day isolation period.
Quarantine - Individuals with close contact exposure to a confirmed or presumptive positive case
Individuals can end quarantine after 5 full days after their last close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, if they remain symptom-free and do not receive a positive test result during the period of quarantine.
Day 0 is the date of exposure to a confirmed or presumptive positive case. Day 1 is the following day (first date of quarantine).
Individuals leaving quarantine should continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days from the date of their last close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, and monitor for symptoms of illness.
If unable to wear a mask, an individual should complete a 10-day quarantine
Individuals identified as close contacts should get tested at least 5 days after having close contact with someone with COVID-19. If they test positive or develop symptoms, they should follow recommendations for isolation.
As per CDC/OHA guidelines, students, teachers, and staff who come into close contact with someone with COVID-19 and are up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccination (as defined below) and individuals who had confirmed COVID-19 within the last 90 days do not need to quarantine.
Within the K–12 setting, those who are up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccination include:
Individuals 18 or older who have received all recommended vaccine doses, including boosters.
Youth 5–17 years who have completed the primary series of COVID-19 vaccines.
We continue to receive a high volume of new case reports each day, and we appreciate your patience with our school offices, Health Services Department, and Human Resources Department as they work to implement this new guidance and address ongoing contact tracing needs for students and staff.
All Hands On Deck
To help manage the staffing and substitute shortages we are experiencing in our schools, SSD is deploying all available district staff to buildings to assist on a daily basis. We are doing everything we can to keep all schools open every day, and we are so appreciative of our staff’s flexibility and dedication.
In the event that limited staffing or substitutes at a particular school creates a situation where we are unable to safely and effectively educate and supervise students, we may need to revert that school to comprehensive distance learning for a short period of time. Please know that this move would not apply to the entire district and would only be implemented as a last resort and on an as-needed basis. There are no defined thresholds for making this decision; however, we continue to monitor the number of staff absences daily – throughout the day, in the evening and early in the morning -- while seeking every possible solution to continue in-person learning. Thank you to our staff and families for your continued efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in our schools.
Sherwood School District
Website: http://www.sherwood.k12.or.us/
Location: 21920 Southwest Sherwood Boulevard, Sherwood, OR, USA
Phone: 503-825-5000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherwoodschooldistrict88J/
Twitter: @SherwoodSD