CAMDEN FAIRVIEW PUBLIC SCHOOLS

OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT

625 Clifton

Camden, Arkansas 71701

Camden Fairview School District 2021-2022 Covid-19 Response

On August 10, 2021 the Arkansas Department of Education, Division of Elementary and Secondary Education released the 2021-2022 Covid-19 Guidance for Schools. This document addresses updates to the public health guidance and is based on the public health situation with COVID-19 as it is understood at this time. Guidance will be updated as needed if additional or new guidance is made available by the CDC. DESE and the ADH will continue to monitor conditions and work with districts to respond accordingly.

Masks/Face Coverings

Camden Fairview School District will require masks for everyone who enters a school building or rides a school bus. As updated on August 4, 2021, CDC guidance states, “When teachers, staff, and students consistently and correctly wear a mask, they protect others as well as themselves. Consistent and correct mask use is especially important indoors and in crowded settings, when physical distancing cannot be maintained.”

• Indoors - Camden Fairview requires masking for all individuals age 2 years and older, including students, teachers, staff, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status.
• Outdoors - In general, people do not need to wear masks when outdoors. CDC recommends that people who are not fully vaccinated wear a mask in crowded outdoor settings or during activities that involve sustained close contact with other people. Fully vaccinated people might choose to wear a mask in crowded outdoor settings if they or someone in their household is immunocompromised.

Individuals exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 will not need to quarantine if the individual exposed has no symptoms and both the infected and exposed individual consistently and correctly were wearing a mask.

Vaccinations

COVID-19 vaccines are the most effective strategy to protect people from getting sick and to reduce the risk of people spreading COVID-19. Students who are ages 12 and older are eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccination. We encourage students ages 12 and older, their families, and all school staff to get vaccinated if they have not.

Fully-vaccinated students or staff do not need to quarantine if deemed close contacts, unless they have/develop symptoms. School nurses will check the vaccination status of

a potential close contact through WebIZ to help point of contacts and school officials determine responses.

Hand washing and cleaning

Camden Fairview will continue to have hand sanitizer stations in classrooms and public areas. Students, teachers and staff are encouraged to sanitize and/or wash hands frequently.

Camden Fairview will continue all classroom and bus sanitizing activities that were used this past school year.

Summary of close contact determination and responses

The CDC defines a close contact as an individual confirmed to have been within six feet for 15 cumulative minutes or longer within a 24-hour period during the infectious period of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.

1. Individuals who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 and recovered and who are subsequently exposed to someone with COVID-19 within three months of their original diagnosis do not have to stay at home or get tested again, as long as they do not develop new symptoms. Individuals who develop symptoms again within three months of their first instance of COVID-19 should see their physician as they may need to be tested again if there is no other cause identified for their symptoms.
2. Individuals exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 will not need to be quarantined if they have no symptoms and both the infected and exposed individual consistently and correctly were wearing a mask.
3. Individuals who are fully vaccinated may not have to quarantine.

Summary of quarantine of those exposed to someone with COVID-19

As of December 2, 2020, the CDC amended its guidance to allow two shorter options for the quarantine period. Based on current CDC guidance, the quarantine period can end for individuals experiencing no symptoms according to the following guidelines:

1. After 10 full 24-hour periods since close contact exposure without testing, or

2. After seven full 24-hour periods since close contact exposure and after receiving a negative test result (sample taken no earlier than five 24-hour periods after exposure).

If individuals return to school from these shorter quarantine windows, they should regularly monitor themselves for symptoms to ensure they remain symptom-free and take appropriate precautions (e.g., consistent mask usage) for the duration of the 14-day incubation period.

Isolation of those with COVID-19

The person who tests positive for COVID-19 is still required to isolate at home for 10 days from the onset of symptoms or, if asymptomatic, 10 days from the positive test date. A person who is immunosuppressed or was hospitalized may need a longer isolation period of 20 days.

We have seen many different scenarios where students have been exposed to Covid-19. Each case of contact tracing is unique depending on the circumstances and location of contact. While the summary guidance outlines general actions which could occur, the Camden Fairview School District point of contact will work with parents and the Department of Health to make sure each individual case is handled properly according to the Arkansas Department of Health guidelines.