Thank you to the Miamisburg High School Viking Alumni Association for their generous donation of $10,000.00. In the past, the money has been used to purchase library books, Destination Imagination, Teacher Mini-Grants, and MHS Theater. The money is very much appreciated and helps fund items that might have been on a wish list! Pictured left to right are Scott Masters, Dr. Laura Blessing, Jeff Nestor, Bob Mitman, Diane Mitman, Lee Hieronymus, and Mike Masters. Go Vikings!
MCS Parents and Guardians,
As a district we have been closely watching our COVID-19 positive cases and quarantines and making building changes as needed. Unfortunately, due to high numbers of quarantines, the district has reached a point where we can no longer just strongly request staff, students, and visitors wear a face mask. Effective Monday, September 13, 2021, all Pre-K12 staff, students, volunteers, and visitors will be required to wear face masks when they are in a building or riding on district transportation. Students and staff who are outside of the school building are not required to wear a face mask.
Staff and student safety is the most important factor to consider when making this decision. As we continue to monitor district data related to COVID-19 cases and quarantines, we are seeing the impact that it is having on our district. The district has encouraged personal choice in wearing a face mask as long as we could, but now there is no doubt we must act if we want to keep students and staff in a face-to-face learning environment this year.
The district had over 300 students in quarantine last week. Because our goal has always been to keep students in school, we believe that requiring masks will reduce quarantines and enable more students to stay in school.
Even though we did not receive a mask mandate from the Governor (which he says is no longer within his power), if the number of our students and/or staff in quarantine or isolation continue to increase, we will have to return to virtual learning. Students need to be at school and we want to do all that we can to ensure that they remain in school for the 2021-22 school year. Students and staff members at the K-12 levels that are masked, even if they are not vaccinated, will not be required to quarantine if they are exposed to an individual with COVID-19 and are asymptomatic. This will dramatically reduce the number of students and staff who may potentially be quarantined and means that fewer students will miss school for an extended period of time. However, public preschools follow Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) protocols. According to ODJFS, wearing a mask is strongly recommended for protection, however, it does not eliminate the need to quarantine close contacts at the preschool level.
The lack of substitute employees for all areas who are willing and/or able to work in our district is already at a critical level. If we have even a few more staff members out because of quarantine or isolation, we will not be able to fully meet the needs of the district. This becomes a safety issue and could eventually cause us to not physically hold classes or provide transportation.
Contact tracing is a complex and time-consuming process. We are not receiving any help from the county health department to contact trace for our students. The best thing we can do to reduce the number of students and staff who need to be isolated or quarantined is to mandate masks indoors.
MCS is off to a solid start this school year, but COVID-19 definitely has the potential to derail our plans to offer face-to-face instruction all year long. Our goal has always been to stay in school. Our best strategy at this point in time is to require face masks for all students, staff, volunteers, and visitors to help reduce the potential spread of COVID-19 and greatly reduce the number of individuals who would be required to quarantine.
If your child is sick, please do not send them to school. If your child is awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test, please do not send them to school until AFTER you receive the negative test results. Your cooperation with these requests will provide a safer environment for all students and staff.
As always, thank you for your flexibility and understanding. Please know that the decisions we make are to promote a safe and effective learning environment for your child. We will continue to monitor positive cases and quarantines on a weekly basis. Future decisions regarding masks and quarantines will be adjusted as guidance changes or numbers fluctuate. I appreciate your continued support of MCS. If you have any questions or need clarification, please feel free to email me.
Dr. Laura Blessing
