Area schools seek change in COVID quarantine rules

Findlay and Hancock County school officials are lobbying Hancock Public Health for a rule change aimed at keeping more students in school, despite possible exposure to COVID-19. Findlay City Schools has been hit hard with quarantines, and a lack of substitute teachers has the district scrambling to keep classes covered. Earlier this week, the school board agreed to pay teachers more to cover classes or lunch and recess duties for their absent colleagues. Findlay Superintendent Troy Roth said school officials have asked the county health department to relax the quarantine rules and allow students who are identified as a "close contact" by Hancock Public Health, but who are healthy, to continue to attend school, with a face mask required. "A modified quarantine would reduce the number of quarantines, and allow healthy students/staff to stay in school, and increase the number of students/staff wearing a mask," Roth said. He said several other counties have modified their quarantine orders. Putnam County, for example, allows students identified as a "close contact," with the exposure occurring in school, to continue to attend school with a mask, but no extracurricular activities, said Kim Rieman, the county's health commissioner. Putnam County modified the order last week. Rieman said it's a difficult decision to make, and should be based on local conditions. So far, however, Hancock Public Health hasn't agreed to any changes. Health Commissioner Karim Baroudi said the health department is working with the state department of health as part of a statewide effort to collect data and "make a scientific determination about the risks of allowing exposed individuals back into the classroom." "The workgroup, at the state level, is now working on data collected from a Warren County Schools' pilot study to assess such risks and come up with recommendations for modified terms for quarantine at schools," Baroudi said. "I cannot speak to how other counties justified the modification of their quarantine protocols; while there are a lot of confounding factors in play while making such a decision, above all is the safety and the healthy well-being of the community. A great deal of consideration will also be given to the law, as cited above, as to how the board of health carries its duties and responsibilities. That is why we are closely working with our partners at the state health department to legally modify any terms of the quarantine in the school setting." Last year, school officials lobbied hard to reduce the requirement for social distancing from 6 feet to a minimum of 3 feet in the classroom and on school buses. Health officials eventually relented and reduced the distance, with universal masking, and area schools finished out the 2020-21 school year with full-time, in-person instruction. This year, the schools have been advised that universal masking would reduce the number of students quarantined due to contact tracing and known exposure. However, Findlay City Schools and all Hancock County school districts are operating with masks voluntary, but "highly recommended." As of Friday afternoon, Findlay schools reported six active cases of COVID-19, with 61 students quarantined due to close contact and another 152 students undergoing contact tracing. Among staff members, the district was reporting two active cases. A check of COVID-19 dashboards for Hancock County schools on Friday showed: • Arcadia Local Schools had five active COVID-19 cases among students, no staff cases and 10 students quarantined by the health department. • Arlington Local Schools reported one active student case and four students quarantined. No cases were reported among staff. • Cory-Rawson Local Schools reported five active student cases and 68 students quarantined. No cases were reported among staff. • Liberty-Benton Local Schools had 14 active student cases and 31 students quarantined. • McComb Local Schools reported three active student cases, with no staff cases and no one in quarantine. • Riverdale Local Schools reported two active student cases, with no staff cases and no one in quarantine. • Van Buren Local Schools had two active student cases and 31 students quarantined. No cases were reported among staff. • Vanlue Local School reported two active student cases, two staff cases and 10 students quarantined. Grant: 419-427-8412