COVID-19 Update - 12/30/2021

A COVID-19 Update from the Superintendent

Dear Bulldog Families and Staff,

We are just days away from 2022. 

I hope all of you had a great holiday season with your family and friends and that everyone rings in the new year with much happiness. 

We are going to have an amazing 2022. I’m looking forward to celebrating our incredible staff and highlighting our students and their accomplishments all the way until the very last day of school! 

We return to school on Monday, January 3, 2022, and I wanted to take this opportunity to let everyone know we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal departments to make sure our staff and students are safe amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The virus mutates and replicates often. The data changes daily, the guidance evolves monthly, recommendations are plentiful and they constantly change, and we are left to figure it all out. We continue to do our very best.

Recently, the CDC recommended a change in quarantine procedures. Some of the changes include:

 

"People with COVID-19 should isolate for 5 days and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), follow that by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter."

 

"For people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose (or more than 2 months after the J&J vaccine) and not yet boosted, CDC now recommends quarantine for 5 days followed by strict mask use for an additional 5 days.  Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure."

We do not know if the Ohio Department of Health or the Mahoning County Health Department will adopt these recommendations so we await specific guidance from our state departments. I’m communicating with all the superintendents in the region, and we will be meeting weekly to discuss all options for our schools and communities. 

Unless the Governor of Ohio issues an official mandate, we will be returning January 3 for in-person learning and resuming under our previous COVID-19 guidelines from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) approved “Mask to Stay” protocol. 

Finally, if your child contracted COVID-19 over break and you are unsure of their return date, please email your school nurse for guidance. 

Thank you for your support!

Craig D. Hockenberry 
Superintendent, Poland Local Schools 
#GoDogs