New Board and COVID back to school plan update
From left: Teresa Rae is sworn in as trustee for a second term, Ron MacDonald swears in as Chair and Mary Fioranvanti swears in as trustee for Zone 2.
Photo by CYNTHIA BONSANT
BONNERS FERRY — Boundary County School District has updated its school plan when it comes to COVID-19.
In the new plan the district will continue to monitor daily absence until either the activity in the community has been deemed safe by an official source of daily absences fall below 7% in relation to illness.
The Superintendent will have the authority to close school or a specific classroom if there is not enough staff for up to four days.
The new protocol for students and staff that test positive for COVID-19 is to stay home for five calendar days. If an individual is symptom free after 5 days following a positive test and if they agree to wear a mask the next five calendar days then they can return to school. If they choose not to wear a mask then they will need to stay home another five days.
If there are symptoms present an individual must stay home an additional five days. If fever is present they cannot return until they are 24 hours fever free without fever reducing medication.
Close contact protocol has been updated. Students and staff will receive a letter stating they may have been exposed. They can choose to wear a mask for 10 calendar days up to 20 days if a close contact is a family member. They must watch for symptoms.
Other options include staying home for five calendar days if unwilling to wear a mask and test on day five. If the test is negative then they may return to school. If they choose not to test or wear a mask they must stay home 10 calendar days. Those that are fully vaccinated should return to school and watch for symptoms. Those that have tested positive in the past should return to school and watch for symptoms.
The back to school plan in its entirety can be found as https://www.bcsd101.com/ under the “Parents” tab.
Trustee Nicki Weaver, said a lot of medical professionals are not in favor of CDC guidelines that recommend guaranteeing for five days. She said the board shouldn’t throw out doctor’s guidance in favor of CDC guidelines especially if a doctor recommends a patient quarantine longer.
Superintendent Jan Bayer specified that the new plan read that if students are symptom free they stay home for five days. If they agree to wear a mask for the next five days they can return to school.
Bayer said that the district does have COVID-19 tests, but must have written permission from parents before testing a student. She clarified that the test is only a screening test and if their is a positive result with the test then a student must get tested by their health care provider.
“It is up to the parents, we do not force testing,” said Bayer.
For the back to school plan, Rae suggested that the board stick with the updated plan and update it as needed. Weaver wanted to incorporate with masking rules that masks should only be worn by those that tested positive, but not if they have tested positive and have had COVID-19 in the past 90 days to six months.
The board agreed to pass the updated plan, but monitor the situation. Weaver pushed to have the option to review the plan if case rates change. The superintendent said that reviewing the plan can be a regular agenda item at future meetings.
Mary Fioranvanti was sworn in as a trustee to Zone 2 for the Boundary County School District. Teresa Rae was sworn into her second term on the board.
Trustee Ron MacDonald was unanimously voted in as board chair and Rae was voted as Vice-Chair.
The board continues with the policy rewrite in order to align with state law and have consistent policy.
More information on the proposed school bond for the March 8 election can be found at
https://www.bcsd101.com/