The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment adopted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s newest guidance regarding isolation and quarantine. The newest guidance prioritizes getting students and staff back to in-person learning through reduced isolation and quarantine periods when individuals are able to wear a well-fitting mask when they return. Durango 9-R is well positioned to follow this new guidance.
Our district is currently working to operationalize these changes, which has prompted some shifts in our practices. One shift in communication is that we will no longer be notifying families of low-risk, general school exposures. We will contact families in the event of a high-risk exposure that could prompt a quarantine.
Our district is committed to in-person learning and we remain committed to our mitigation efforts in order to ensure safe and healthy learning environments. There are significant concerns associated with remote learning regarding social emotional learning and mental health in youth. With our mitigation practices in place (masking, vaccination, testing, hand washing, ventilation, etc.), our schools remain some of the safest environments in the community. San Juan Basin Public Health is supportive of our layered mitigation practices to maintain in-person learning and promote health and safety in our schools. We continue to work closely with SJBPH.
Based on our commitment to our community, we will remain open for in-person learning at this time. In the event that the situation worsens in individual schools, families would be notified via the emergency notification system if school were to be cancelled. Schools may need to make up the days at a later time.
Vaccinations and boosters are widely available in the community. Vaccinations are available for ages five and up, and this week boosters were expanded for ages 12 and up. Information is available on the SJBPH website: https://sjbpublichealth.org/covid-19-vaccine/
In-school testing is conducted for students and staff who are presenting symptoms while in school. Due to limited supplies, testing for asymptomatic people who may have been exposed somewhere outside of school is best handled with at-home testing, or at a community test site.
For parents who want their students to be regularly tested, please contact your school to sign up for the free, voluntary, weekly testing program conducted by Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
If your child is experiencing symptoms, please keep them home and test.
Please continue to send your child to school with a well fitting mask.
With your support of these efforts, we look forward to continuing a successful, in-person school year.