District adjusts quarantine guidelines, discusses fully opening middle and high schools

by Judy Stringer

Jan. 7 organizational school board meeting

Hudson City School District Superintendent Phil Herman told the board the district may soon alter quarantine guidelines – a move administrators confirmed less than a week later, announcing on Jan. 12 new procedures for individuals (students or staff) who come in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case.

Moving forward, close contacts will be required to quarantine for 14 days if they were within 3 feet of an individual who tests positive for COVID-19 for the exposure period. Previously, anyone within 6 feet was instructed to quarantine. The new guideline only applies to in-school or bus exposure, not to athletics or extracurricular activities outside of the classroom.

The updated procedure aligns with new guidance issued by Summit County Public Health and is based on the study of a sample of Ohio school districts that indicated there was little or no increased potential of spread of the virus in the classroom setting by close contact if safety protocols, particularly masks, were in place.

Herman said the study gives the district “peace of mind” that “with proper mitigating strategies in place, our students are safe.”

Board member Alisa Wright suggested the new data might also lend support to transition middle and high school students to “all in,” or every day, in-person classes “sooner rather than later.” While the younger grades, K-5, are currently attending school every day in person, the upper grades are in a hybrid model in which students alternate remote days with in-building days.

Having half the students in those schools at any one time provides the space for 6-feet social distancing. With data indicating a low incidence of transmission among close contacts if students wear masks, however, school officials are now considering whether it would be safe to fully open the middle and high school with reduced separation distances of 3 feet.

Herman stressed the importance of closely monitoring COVID data for the first two weeks following winter break before making an “all-in” decision for the middle and high school buildings.

“This week and next week will continue to be very important weeks as we look at the effect of the holidays on the COVID cases,” he said. “While we have seen an uptick from the week before, it is not so significant yet as it was after Thanksgiving.”

The superintendent also cited other encouraging data to support in-person classes, including a trending decline in coronavirus cases in Summit County, 44236 and the school district itself.

Wright encouraged Herman to consider transitioning the middle and high schools when students begin a new semester on Jan. 19. Board vice president Steve DiMauro said the board could hold for a special meeting and would not want to delay any decision about moving the schools to “all in” until its next scheduled regular meeting on Jan. 25. He also said the district should continue to monitor if a return to in-person classes results in in-school virus transmission to teachers and staff.

During the public comment period, three parents advocated for the return to in-person classes at the high school and middle school, saying they believe remote and hybrid attendance leads to poor educational outcomes and increased mental health issues.

At the organizational meeting, the board unanimously re-elected David Zuro president and DiMauro vice president.

It also approved resolutions:

• Accepting donations, including $5,000 for the Athletic Hall of Fame and Veteran Stadium from William and Debbie Currin; $7,657 for STEM and occupational therapy programs from Jay and Sue Carter; and $15,863 for a softball scoreboard from Summit Diamonds Softball care of Michael J. Smith.
• Approving a $60,577 change order to with Hammond Construction related to work at East Woods Intermediate School. Zuro said the change order falls into the allotted budget for East Woods renovation and contingency funds that are available.
• Renewing membership in the Ohio School Boards Association for January – December 2021 in the amount of $10,009, and the organization’s Legal Assistance Fund for an additional $250.
• Adjusting the pay rate for employees currently making less than Ohio Minimum Wage of $8.80 per hour.