USD 467 Announces 2 COVID-19 Cases in Schools

October 19, 2020

USD 467 was notified by the health department that a student at Wichita County Junior-Senior High School, and a student at Wichita County Elementary School have tested positive for COVID-19.  Individuals in close contact with the students have been notified of the exposure by the health department and/or the school principal.

The individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 will not be allowed to return to school for at least 14 days.  A remote learning plan and schedule will be implemented for those individuals during the isolation period. 

When a positive case is identified in a school building, the building moves to the yellow, moderate risk zone, where masks are required rather than recommended.  When the isolations are resolved from the positive case in the building, and there are no additional positive cases, the building will move back to the green, low risk zone.

To date, the district has experienced two types of exposures resulting in isolations.  The first type involves a person who tests positive for COVID-19.  When that occurs, anyone living in the home must isolate for 14 days after the person they are living with no longer has symptoms.  This isolation or quarantine must take place AWAY from school. 

The second type is when a person is exposed to someone with the virus, but they do not live together, and they are not presenting symptoms.  In that case, the isolation is for 14 days after the last exposure to the person with the positive case.  A modified quarantine plan is offered to allow those types of exposures to take place AT school.  With a modified quarantine, the group of exposed students are kept away from the other students, with minimal movement in the building.  Because the exposures are different, the isolations are different. 

If your child is not feeling well, or shows any of the following symptoms, please keep them at home, and call the school office to report their absence. 

            Fever                                       Extreme fatigue/tiredness                     Chills

            Cough/sore throat                    Muscle or body aches                           Headache

            Shortness of Breath                 Loss of taste or smell                            Diarrhea

The district is closely monitoring this situation and will notify families if any additional actions need to be taken in the near future.  Thank you for your patience as we work through these adjustments.

Sincerely,

Lori Maxwell

Superintendent