Change in Face Covering Policy 2/22/21

February 11, 2021

 

Dear Staff Members and Families:

 

Effective Monday February 22, 2021, the LaFayette Central School District will require all students and staff to wear a face covering at all times. Mask breaks will be provided in accordance with state guidelines. The purpose for this change is to increase mitigation measures and minimize the number of students and staff placed into quarantine when positive cases occur. 

 

Onondaga County published updated “Quarantine Guidelines for All Onondaga County Schools” on February 6, 2021. The updated guidelines allow for fewer quarantine restrictions when students/staff come into close contact with a COVID positive case so long as school administrators attest that students and staff are wearing a face covering and are seated six feet apart. Up until now, we have offered staff members the flexibility of allowing students to either remove their face covering when seated for instruction or require students to wear face coverings based on classroom activities or other factors. 

 

With these updated quarantine guidelines, if students and staff are wearing a face covering, we will be able to limit the number of students/staff identified as close contacts and subsequently placed into quarantine. We understand that some students may not be able to tolerate a face covering due to medical reasons. For these students, please have your child’s doctor fax a medical note to the main office of your child’s school prior to Monday February 22nd.

 

One of our top goals has been to prevent disruptions to in person learning opportunities, however,  many of our families and staff members have had their lives interrupted by mandatory quarantine experiences. We are hopeful that this policy change will help to mitigate the spread of COVID and prevent disruptive quarantine experiences for students and staff members. The county also noted the following reasons for updating the guidance: “So far we have not seen any evidence of transmission of SARS-CoV2 in schools of Onondaga County, however with the start of winter high-risk sports, we will be closely monitoring infections within the sports team with the concern for transmission of infection in the school community.”

 

While we have all been asked to stretch our comfort levels at many different points throughout the past year, I am continually impressed with how our students, families, and staff members have risen to the occasion. We look forward to the buzz of learning in classrooms and on Chromebooks. Every day that we can be together with our students is a win. Thanks for all that you do to support our continued efforts to stay connected and continue learning.

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

 

Sincerely,

Jeremy Belfield

Superintendent of Schools

LaFayette Central School District

jbelfield@lafayetteschools.org

315-529-9550 (cell)