3/17/21 Parent Letter on Masks

2/22/21

There have been questions about the changes CDC has made in their guidance in the last couple weeks regarding the need for vaccinated people to quarantine. The ADH has adopted those new guidelines. (Click Here for ADH Guidlines) 

Proof of vaccination will be required

The guidance is now that those who have been fully vaccinated DO NOT have to quarantine if they meet ALL of the following criteria: 

• Are fully vaccinated (i.e., ≥2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series, or ≥2 weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine) 
• Are within 3 months following receipt of the last dose in the series
• Have remained asymptomatic since the current COVID-19 exposure

Persons who do not meet all 3 of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine requirements after exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

COVID-19 Information - Quarantine

Quarantine is an important way to stop the spread of COVID-19. It means staying home and away from others after you have been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19.

If you are a probable close contact to a person with COVID-19, you need to quarantine for a period from the time of the exposure. Probable close contact, generally, means you were within 6 feet of the person for at least 15 minutes total while they were infectious. COVID-19 patients are considered infectious two days before their symptoms started, or two days before their positive test if they do not develop symptoms. All probable close contacts should get tested for COVID-19 at least five (5) days after (on day 6) the last exposure to the positive person.

If you are a probable close contact, you need to quarantine even if you don’t feel sick and even if you have received a negative test.

LENGTH OF QUARANTINE

The incubation period of the virus that causes COVID-19 is up to 14 days. Therefore, the safest quarantine period would last 14 days from the most recent exposure to the positive patient.

In accordance with new CDC and ADH guidelines, quarantine can end after 10 days without testing if no symptoms have occurred. Or, it can end after 7 days if no symptoms have occurred and a test returned a negative result. Note that the test sample must have been collected at least 5 days (on day 6) after exposure. Send-off PCR tests are preferred, but rapid PCR or antigen tests are acceptable.

If you are exposed again during quarantine, the period must start over again. If you develop symptoms you must stay home and return to the original 14 day quarantine. If you test positive for COVID-19 during the quarantine period, you must follow the instructions for isolating yourself. You must contact Mr. Gordon concerning the symptoms and be released by him via phone prior to coming back to school.

If you choose the 7 days of quarantine, and before you return (day 8), you must text/email the results of the test, and have contacted Mr. Gordon via phone prior to being released to come back to school.

If you choose the 10 days of quarantine, and before you return (day11), you must be released by Mr. Gordon via phone prior to coming back to school.

Mr. Gordon (POC) 479-733-8132

10/16/20

Blended – Hybrid Fridays

Blended-Hybrid Fridays, depending on building, would look somewhat like the following:

Starting Friday, October 23, 2020 Fridays will become 100% Virtual Learning Days. This means that we are giving parents/children the option to learn Virtually from either home, or school. Students who choose to learn from home on Fridays wouldn't be counted absent. There would be no new content taught, major assessments given and assignments would be an extension of Thursday's lesson, or variations depending on the building. Buses would run as normal, and Breakfast & Lunch will be served to those on campus. Full-time Virtual students would not be affected and remain off campus, unless needed for a specific reason i.e. Testing. Any Virtual student, including those only virtual on Fridays,  can still request pick-up meals through the HS cafeteria.

Due to the different number of students that may show up, each Building's plan will look somewhat different, and we will modify and adjust along the way. It is of our hope that we can utilize some large areas in each building to accommodate student’s needs while limiting the number of classrooms used.

You have a child in your home that attends a Lamar school/You are an employee of the Lamar School District

What you should do or expect from us

• Contact Shane Gordon (Point of Contact--POC-479-733-8132) if anyone (parent/child/etc.) in your home is being tested for COVID due to symptoms
  • We will ask that all students stay home (quarantine) until you receive the results
  • Contact Shane Gordon (POC) with the results (Positive or Negative)
  • Students must be symptom free for 48 hours before returning to school
• Your child/children may return if the results are negative and Mr. Gordon has released your child
• If the results are positive
  • Student/Parent with positive results will be isolated by ADH (10 Days TBD)
  • Any additional students in the home will be quarantined by POC, as probable close contacts (14 Days TBD)
  • ADH will provide contact tracing to determine close contacts
  • If ADH determines the student/individual who tested positive can isolate from the other students in the home, the other students will quarantine 14 days from the date of the last contact with the positive case
  • If the student is not isolated from the rest of the family the other students in the home will not start quarantine until after the isolation has been lifted by ADH (10 days TBD)
    • This could mean other students in the home might be quarantined for up to 24 days.
  • All students will need a letter from the ADH clearing them from isolation
  • Students determined PCC by Mr. Gordon will have to receive approval from Mr. Gordon before returning to school
    • Mr. Gordon will provide information on what requirments must be met to return to school
    • Other students in the home may test, even if they test negative they will have to quarantine the required amount of time (usually 14 days-no less)
• Positive case at school
  • Point of Contact will be notified
  • POC will gather the information needed to file the required report with the ADH
  • The report will be completed and emailed/uploaded once probable contact tracing has been conducted
  • POC will conduct a probable close contact tracing on campus
    • Once a positive is determined the POC will look back 48 hours from the positive case’s first symptoms to find all probable close contacts
    • If a positive is determined, but there were no symptoms, the probable contacts will be determined 48 hours prior to the test (no symptoms only)
    • Anyone within 6’ for 15 minutes or more in a 24 hour period of time are considered “Probable Close Contacts” “Wearing or Not Wearing Masks”
    • Informational items to help determine probable close contacts
      • Bus seating charts
      • Classroom seating charts (Teacher/Employee Statements)
        • Principals will provide assistance to POC when determining 6’ in the classroom
      • Statements from the positive case and other probable close contacts
  • Parents of any probable close contacts will be notified and all of the probable close contacts will be quarantined for 14 days from the last day of contact with the positive individual
    • Building nurses will help isolate PCC students until parents are able to check them out of school
    • Nurses will also help make intial contact of those parents for Mr. Gordon
• Student Athlete (Positive Results)
  • Student will have to get a release from their physician
  • Point of Contact will have the form needed for the release
• Arkansas Department of Health (Contact Tracers) may be contacting
  • Parents of Positive Case students
  • Parents of those the POC has determined as Probable Close Contacts
  • ADH may provide informational letters and forms to help document progress of
    • Isolation
  • Providing letters of isolation completion
  • POC will provide the release for PCC after quarantine
  • Contact Shane Gordon if you have trouble getting a letter from ADH
• Positive Case Updates
  • ADH website is updated twice each week
  • ADH Provide positive cases that are at or above 5 in each school district
  • Lamar, at any time, could have multiple quarantined individuals, for a multitude of reasons
    • Student’s family member is positive from their job
    • Student attended a function where someone was positive
    • The student or student’s family member might be testing for COVID (due to symptoms)
      • Symptoms could be for other illnesses
      • We will quarantine them until results return
• Secondary Contact
  • Someone who is in contact with a probably close or close contact
  • These individuals will not be quarantined
  • You will no longer be asked to quarantine, If you are a secondary contact, living in the home with a Probable Close Contact. This is no loger the recommendation for schools by ADH or DESE.
• COVID testing for surgery
  • Please notify POC
  • If no symptoms
    • Will not be required to quarantine

Thanks,

Jay Holland

Superintendent 

Lamar School District

Public Notice

Lamar School District participates in the Arkansas Public School Choice Act 560 of 2015.  Any parent residing outside the Lamar School District that desires to send their child to Lamar Schools beginning with the 2019-2020 school year may obtain an application in the superintendent’s office at 301 Elberta Street, Lamar, AR 72846. The application must be postmarked no later than May 1 of the year in which the pupil would begin the fall semester at the nonresident district.  Parents are encouraged to have the application submitted as soon as possible as the new School Choice Law has a 3% cap limitation on the number of applications that can be accepted.   Applications do not have to be resubmitted for any students currently attending Lamar Schools under the School Choice Act. This notice is prepared in accordance with Arkansas statute 6-18-227.

Lamar School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.