We are so excited to welcome students back to the classroom next week! In preparation for the start of the school year, we have important updates to share. While this update is lengthy, please read it in its entirely to gain an understanding about how LM arrived at the decisions made.

During the August 24^th Board of Education (BOE) meeting, the board voted to “table” a recommendation to require face coverings for all PK-6 students. Moving forward, face coverings will continue to be strongly recommended, but not required, for all students and staff members. The district will continue to monitor positive COVID-19 cases and associated quarantines. If positive cases & student quarantine numbers become significant (over 10% of the students in a building), or safe staffing of a building is not feasible, the district’s remote blended learning framework may be implemented until schools are able to safely reopen.

Face masks are still required for all students and staff while riding school buses.

Click here for Little Miami’s COVID-19 Headquarters Page

 __________________________________________________________

It is important to clarify specific assertions being made regarding the Warren County Health District’s authority to issue quarantines or isolation orders.

The Warren County Health District Health Commissioner, Duane Stansbury, issued the following statement to Little Miami after last week’s BOE meeting:

“I received a call from a parent that attended a school board meeting who said another parent addressed that school board and said that the health commissioner, Duane Stansbury, said that local health districts do not have the authority to isolate or quarantine students/people.

First, I have never said that. second it is not factual. Here is the Ohio Revised Code:

ORC 3707.08

When a person known to have been exposed to a communicable disease declared quarantinable by the board of health of a city or general health district or the department of health is reported within its jurisdiction, the board shall at once restrict such person to his place of residence or other suitable place, prohibit entrance to or exit from such place without the board's written permission in such manner as to prevent effective contact with individuals not so exposed, and enforce such restrictive measures as are prescribed by the department.

When a person has, or is suspected of having, a communicable disease for which isolation is required by the board or the department, the board shall at once cause such person to be separated from susceptible persons in such places and under such circumstances as will prevent the conveyance of the infectious agents to susceptible persons, prohibit entrance to or exit from such places without the board's written permission, and enforce such restrictive measures as are prescribed by the department.

ORC 3707.16

No person isolated or quarantined for a communicable disease declared by the board of health of a city or general health district or the department of health to require isolation or quarantine shall attend any public, private, or parochial school or college, Sunday school, church, or any other public gathering, until released from isolation or quarantine by the board. All school principals, Sunday school superintendents, or other persons in charge of such schools or other gatherings shall exclude any such person until he presents a written permit of the board to attend.

Please note that each communicable disease can have different isolation and quarantine rules and are not in the ORC. Therefore, the Ohio Department of Health provides the specific isolation and quarantine guidelines based upon the most current data they have. That is how they create the attached flow chart that we provided earlier this month to you.

I hope this will help if you receive questions about isolation and quarantine in your meetings.”

Duane Stansbury, RS, MPH

Health Commissioner

Warren County Health District | www.warrenchd.com

 __________________________________________________________

LM’s Legal Responsibility to Follow Mandates

Little Miami is focused on serving our families & continues to do due diligence to seek answers to important questions on difficult topics. After the BOE meeting, the district sought legal counsel on quarantines and isolation requirements. The following is the legal advice given to the district:

“For the legal requirement to follow the orders, ORC 3707.16 sets forth your requirements to follow the quarantine/isolation orders of the health department. Districts are mandated to exclude those under order of isolation/quarantine. If the district does not follow this mandate, any liability protections for the district and its staff could be removed as the district would not be following the legal requirements set forth in the ORC.” 

Little Miami Local Schools will continue to work with other public school districts throughout Warren County, as well as the health professionals at the Warren County Health District to develop a more refined quarantine process, with the focus of keeping more students in school.

The first day for students in Grades 6-12 is Tuesday, September 7^th, while students in Grades PK-5 will return to the classroom on Thursday, September 9^th. We hope you are excited & ready to begin another school year in Panther Nation!