R-I enacts plans for COVID positive student

One Poplar Bluff High School student received a positive COVID-19 test and through contact tracing, administration sent more home Monday.

Dr. Scott Dill, superintendent, said they identified 33 students through contact tracing after the district learned of a student’s positive test.

According to the district’s return-to-learn plan, they direct those identified to remain home for 14 days from the time of contact or 10 days from onset of symptoms, regardless of if they receive a negative test.

It also directs the student who tested positive to remain home for that amount of time.

Dill said they haven’t identified where the student was exposed, and no adults were identified in contact tracing.

Those students or staff who were in contact, but wearing personal protective equipment, such as a mask, remain at school.

“Anybody in the community, who was directly impacted by this was notified immediately or as quickly as we could,” Dill said. “If you’re wondering ‘was my kid around,’ if the answer was yes, you would already know.”

The students are not under Plan C, or virtual instruction, while at home as of right now, Dill said, but they will have work available for them through the general curriculum.

“Because we anticipate that they will return to us, the students are participating as much as possible in their normal coursework and attempting to keep up,” he said. “We’re trying to supplement that with direct instructional pieces, so that when the students return to us, they’re not behind.”

Administration still is working out the details of what that looks like, he said.

The virtual option is more of a long-term plan, and the district would like to keep students who are out of school for the short term taking part in the traditional classroom as much as possible.

“If it sounds like it changes a lot, that’s because it changes a lot,” Dill said.

Administration conducted contact tracing to identify those who needed to self-isolate and then worked with the Butler County Health Department to verify.

Dill said the health department is following up with families about what they need to do.

Sheryl Talkington, health and drug free coordinator for the district, said previously that to be identified through contact tracing, a person needs to be within six feet of somebody with a positive test for 15 minutes or longer without wearing a face covering.

This aligns with the health department’s current recommendation for contact tracing.