MCCSC announces an end to face covering mandate. Here is the direct Press Release, dated February 22, 2022:
MCCSC has announced that masks will become optional when the Monroe County Health Department lifts the Monroe County mask mandate. BEGINNING MARCH 4TH, STUDENTS, STAFF MEMBERS AND FAMILIES WILL NO LONGER BE REQUIRED TO WEAR MASKS IN SCHOOL. Masks are welcome to be worn by students, staff members and visitors who elect to wear them. Masks are still REQUIRED on all MCCSC buses. Families will be notified when the federal mask requirement is lifted on school buses.
On February 17, 2022, the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) announced changes in COVID-19 guidance for K-12 schools and childcare programs to reflect declining cases across the state and the availability of vaccines and therapies that didn’t exist two years ago.
As stated in an IDOH Press Release from February 18, 2022, “These changes reflect the rapid decline in COVID-19 cases as we emerge from the omicron surge and the fact that all school-age children have been eligible to be vaccinated since November,” said State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG. “While they do not remove the need for continued vigilance, they will ease the reporting burden on schools and help ensure that children can stay in school.”
The following changes to MCCSC COVID-19 protocols are effective immediately based on new IDOH guidance:
CONTACT TRACING – MCCSC no longer will conduct contact tracing or report positive cases to IDOH.
QUARANTINE – MCCSC no longer will require quarantining of students who are exposed to a positive COVID-19 case regardless of vaccination status.
ISOLATION – Individuals who are confirmed to have COVID-19, regardless of their vaccination status or symptoms MUST isolate.
RETURN FROM ISOLATION –
• Individuals aged five (5) and up who test positive for COVID-19 should isolate for five (5) days from onset of symptoms or positive test if asymptomatic and may return on day six (6) if they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication so long as symptoms are improving. Individuals should wear a mask through day ten (10).
• Individuals under five (5) years old who test positive for COVID-19 should isolate for seven (7) days from onset of symptoms or positive test if asymptomatic and may return on day eight (8) if they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication so long as symptoms are improving.
• A negative COVID test or doctor’s note is no longer required to return to school. RETURN TO SCHOOL AFTER SYMPTOMS – A negative test or doctor’s note is no longer required to return to school. The individual may return to school when symptoms are improving and the individual is fever-free for more than 24 hours.
OTHER:
• MCCSC will assist the Monroe County Health Department with notification in the event of an outbreak or cluster of COVID-19 cases. This includes when absenteeism reaches 10% for COVID-like illnesses or anytime a school or the district is concerned about the level of illness. In these cases, MCCSC will share information with families so parents can monitor their children for symptoms. MCCSC may increase mitigation strategies in situations where clusters or outbreaks occur.
• MCCSC fully intends to participate in the Indiana Department of Health’s “Home Testing Program for Schools”. This new program will allow free COVID-19 tests to families and employees for home testing. Additional details will be provided when the tests become available in April.
MCCSC district officials will continue to review guidance from the Monroe County Health Department, the Indiana Department of Health, and from the district’s COVID-19 Monitoring and Advisory Committee. These new procedures are subject to change based on new recommendations or changes to COVID-19 realities within our community.
K-pop Conference will explore music genre’s cultural significance, global impact
Visiting scholars from universities around the country will join student and faculty experts from Indiana University Bloomington for an academic conference exploring K-pop’s impact on the world. The K-pop Conference, presented by the Institute for Korean Studies and the IU Arts and Humanities Council, will take place February 25-26th at the Gayle Karch Cook Center for Public Arts and Humanities. The conference is part of the Korea Remixed festival, the fifth annual Global Remixed festival at Indiana University Bloomington. K-pop Conference events are free and open to the public. The full schedule can be found on the conference website.
This Week in Hoosier History
1925 – An explosion at the City Coal Mine in Sullivan, Indiana, killed 51 miners. Governor Ed Jackson sent National Guard units to help in the disaster. As a result of this tragedy, the legislature established stricter safety regulations for Indiana mines.
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