Page Updated 8/11/2021

Please review the entire page to better understand our updated procedures. If you have any questions contact Katie Kersey (District POC) or your student’s building administrator.

Lamar COVID Protocol 21-22

(Employee, Student, Service Provider, Visitor)

Positive COVID Reporting

Report all positive results immediately (24/7) by phone or text to Katie Kersey (Point of Contact) at 479-733-8132. Use text after 4:30 p.m. and before 7:30 a.m.

Information Needed When You Call or Text

1. Positive’s Name
2. Parent Name
3. Good Phone Number
4. Symptoms Started
5. Date Tested
6. Where Tested
7. Type of Test (Rapid, Nasal Swab, Throat Swab)
8. DOB
9. Any Close Contacts in the home (sibling, parents, other family)

Report Positive COVID Results to Katie Kersey

IF:

• You are an employee of the Lamar School District
• Your student attends school at Lamar
• You provide a service on the Lamar School District Campus
• You are a visitor on the Lamar School District campus

Student Athletes (Testing Positive for COVID-19) must follow AAA Protocol for returning to athletics. It is important that parent, of athletes make sure they are in contact with the Lamar Athletic Director, if their child has tested positive. The Athletic Director will monitor the list of positives to make sure all students that have tested positive, reports to him.  It is the responsibility of the parent/student to make sure the student does not return to sports/physical activity, until proper protocol has been followed.

COVID testing (Rapid or PRC) must be reported to Katie Kersey

IF:

• You or anyone in your family attends or works at the Lamar School District
  • All individuals taking a COVID test /waiting on results must quarantine until the results come back.
  • All individuals in the home with the person testing/waiting on results must also quarantine until the results come back.
  • If you receive a negative “Rapid” test, but the test is sent off to get a PCR on the sample, you will need to continue to quarantine until the result returns.

Close Contacts off Campus (within 3’ for 15 minutes or more in a 24 hour period of time) must be reported to Katie Kersey

IF:

• You are an employee and have had close contact off campus (Personal Life)
• Your child has been in close contact with a positive outside of school (It could be a student of Lamar that is also family or friend, we can’t contact trace off campus so we will need the parent to contact us)

Close Contacts

The Lamar School District will determine Close Contacts of all positive cases on our campus.

The Lamar School District will not determine Close Contact at events not associated directly to the Lamar School District.

If a parent determines their child is a close contact, due to contact outside of school, the parent needs to report it to Katie Kersey.

Close Contacts Determined by the Lamar School District (On Our Campus or at Our Event)

IF:

• The Lamar District POC or Building POC/Administrator determines an individual is a close contact in their building they will
  • Contact the parent within 24 hours of the positive case or within 8 hours of returning to campus the following school day. (It is crucial to report positive cases immediately to allow us to contact trace while we are in session and can talk to all stakeholders)
  • Quarantine the close contact ASAP once the determination has been made
  • Report the close contact determinations to the District POC/Building POC for ADH reporting
  • The Building POC will provide information on when and how the student may return to school.
  • The Building POC will also inform the Athletic Director of all Positive Student Athletes
    • The Athletic Director will talk with the parents on AAA protocol for returning to sports

Isolation (Positives)

• Must email the ADH release letter to Katie Kersey before she will release you to return to the schools.

                How to determine days of quarantine

• You can place your finger on the calendar day that was considered the last day of contact with a positive…..move your finger to the next day…..this is day 1……..keep moving your finger across the calendar day by day…… you can bring your student back on the morning of the 8^th day (If you have provided proof of a negative test, sample must have been taken on or after the 6^th full day of quarantine).
• If you do not want to have your student tested (If there are no symptoms) (they will miss an additional 4 days of education) you may bring them to school on day 11……use the process of counting described above.
• If your child has had symptoms they will have to remain in quarantine until they are 10 days past the onset of symptoms or you can bring them back to school to get a rapid test after 5 full days from the onset of the symptoms.

Quarantined (Testing for COVID)

• All individuals taking a COVID test /waiting on results must quarantine until the results come back.
• All individuals in the home, attending Lamar Schools, with the person testing/waiting on results must also quarantine until the results come back.

Current DESE Guidance For Schools (Click Here)

Below You Will Find 20-21 Information Updated For 21-22

Responding to Confirmed Positive Cases

The Lamar School District will continue to respond to all COVID related cases the same as we have. We will continue to follow the guidance of ADH and DESE. All positive cases will isolate for 10 days and all probable close contacts within 3’ for 15 min or more in a 24 hour period of time will be considered Close Contacts. The parents of the students determine to be Close Contacts will be contacted by the Building POC.

Continuation of Services

We will be updating this plan throughout the week to meet the need of a response to the increase in COVID cases. We believe the best education is face-to-face and strive to find ways to make that possible for all students.

Summer and Back-to-School Planning

The building plans will be updated with the current back to school plans before the start of school on Monday.

Please select the link below to provide comments for any of the above topics. Provide the title of the topic being commented on, on the first line of the comment.

ARP

Comments

Vaccination and Quarantine

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) 
• This was part of the 20-21 plan that I missed when updating the information. Originally we were only given 3 month, however, currently aslong as you meet the criteria listed on the first and third bullet you do not have to quarantine. I appologize for the mistake, but please continue to monitor our website as the guidence we are given is fluid and can change again. (20-21 Guidance- Are within 3 months following receipt of the last dose in the serie
• 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.

Students that have been vaccinated

Proof of vaccination will be required if used to not quarantine as a close contact. The proof must be on file or brought to school the following day. Proof will not be accepted at the time of the call but may be brought to school the following morning. The person under quarantine will not be allowed on campus until the nurse receives the proof and can call the parent releasing the student to return to school. If a student has been quarantined and their information isn’t currently on file, the student will miss at least one day until the proof of vaccination can be turned in and processed.

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 close contact to a person with COVID-19, you need to quarantine for a period from the time of the exposure. 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 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 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 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 Mrs. Kersey 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 the building POC 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 the District or Building POC prior to coming back to school.

Mrs. Kersey (POC) 479-733-8132

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 Katie Kersey (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 Katie Kersey (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 Mrs. Kersey 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 close contacts (8-14 Days TBD)
  • ADH will provide contact tracing to determine close contacts outside the school
  • If ADH determines the student/individual who tested positive can isolate from the other students in the home, the other students will quarantine 7-14 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
  • If ADH contacts the POC and communicates that letters will not be delivered due to the high volume of cases the POC will contact those needing to return from isolation and provide an alternate form for release
  • Students determined Close Contacts by the District or Building POC will have to receive approval before returning to school
    • The District or Building POC will provide information on what requirements 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 7-14 days)
• 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
  • Building POC will conduct a close contact tracing on campus
    • Once a positive is determined the POC will look back 48 hours from the positive case’s first symptoms and each Building POC will determine all close contacts
    • If a positive is determined, but there were no symptoms, the close contacts will be determined 48 hours prior to the test (no symptoms only)
    • Anyone within 3’ for 15 minutes or more in a 24 hour period of time are considered “Close Contacts” “Wearing or Not Wearing Masks”
    • Informational items to help determine probable close contacts
      • Bus seating charts
      • Classroom seating charts
      • (Teacher/Employee Statements)
        • Building POCs will determining 3’ in the classrooms
      • Statements from the positive case and other close contacts
  • Parents of any close contacts will be notified and all of the close contacts will be quarantined for 7-14 days from the last day of contact with the positive individual
    • Building nurses will help isolate CC students until parents are able to check them out of school
    • Nurses will also help make initial contact of those parents for each building
• Student Athlete (Positive Results)
  • Student must get a release from their physician
  • The Athletic Director Brett Sampley will have the needed information and must be contacted if your student has received a positive COVID test (This is for the safety of your student!)
• Arkansas Department of Health (Contact Tracers) may be contacting
  • Parents of Positive Case students
  • Parents of those the POC has determined as Close Contacts
  • ADH may provide informational letters and forms to help document progress of
    • Isolation
  • Providing letters of isolation completion
  • District/Building POC will provide the release for CC after quarantine
  • Contact Katie Kersey if you have trouble getting a letter from ADH
• Positive Case Updates
  • ADH website was updated twice each week last school year
  • 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 close contact
  • These individuals will not be quarantined
• COVID testing for surgery or due to a systematic workplace requirement
  • Please notify Katie Kersey
  • 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.