Oakwood Schools COVID-19 Plans

Oakwood Schools COVID dashboard will be posted each Monday, starting Aug. 23.  

To review notifications and procedures, please visit our COVID-19 Notification page. 

In Classroom Settings
Updated Oct. 27, 2021

Ohio Department of Health updated its quarantine guidance for in-school exposure only Oct. 25, 2021. “Eligibility to participate in mask to stay/test to play is contingent on the exposure being in the school setting or school-related activities. This does not apply to household exposures or exposures outside of the school setting or school-related activities.” (K-12 Schools Quarantine Alternative - Mask to Stay, Test to Play, Oct. 25, 2021) 

Mask to Stay 
Direct contacts*, regardless of vaccination or masking status, may remain in the classroom environment if they do the following: 

● Wear a mask for 14 days after their last date of exposure. 
● Self-monitor**, or parent-monitor, for symptoms of COVID-19. 
● Isolate and get tested if they start to experience symptoms associated with COVID-19 (regardless of level of severity). 
● Consistent with guidance for others quarantining in lower-risk environments, students and staff may discontinue these quarantine procedures after seven day, if they don’t develop symptoms and test negative between days 5-7. 

*Direct contacts - Individuals who are identified as being directly exposed to COVID-19 by the positive case. COVID-19 is a respiratory virus and does not require physical contact to spread. It is spread through sneezing, coughing, talking and breathing. These factors should be considered when determining level of exposure and direct contacts. Best practice for distancing is 3 ft with everyone masked, 6 ft if individuals are not masked. 

**Parents and students are responsible for symptom monitoring. School nurses or staff see a child exhibiting symptoms, they should act accordingly. 

Test to Play
Asymptomatic contacts may continue to participate in extracurricular activities if they do the following: 

● Wear a mask when able. (This includes while in school transportation, in locker rooms sitting/standing on the sidelines and any time the mask will not interfere with breathing, the activity or create a safety hazard.) 
● Test* on initial notification of exposure to COVID-19 and receive negative test results.
● Test* again on days 5-7. If test results are negative at this time, the individual will test out of quarantine. 

*Testing can be completed with PCR or antigen tests. Testing must be proctored/observed by someone and cannot be an over-the-counter, at-home test that is self-administered without a proctor.

(As of Aug. 1, 2021)

Adult-Student Interactions & Student-Student Interactions

• At Smith, Harman & Lange:
  • Due to the unavailability of vaccines for this age group, students and staff will be required to wear masks in school buildings and school vehicles.
  • Individuals taking part in outside activities and events are not required to wear masks as long as social distancing is maintained as much as possible.
  • Six weeks after the availability of vaccines for children under 12 years of age, mask wearing will be highly recommended, but not required.
  • We know there may be students, families and/or staff who believe it is in their best interest to continue to wear a mask after it is no longer required.  Mask wearing will be acceptable and supported.  
  • It is up to each of us to manage this decision for ourselves and our families as well as the consequences and benefits of those choices.  
     
• At JH & HS:
  • Due to the availability of vaccines for this age group, mask wearing will be highly recommended, but not required, in school buildings.
  • We know there may be students, families and/or staff who believe it is in their best interest to wear a mask.  Mask wearing will be acceptable and supported. 
  • It is up to each of us to manage this decision for ourselves and our families as well as  the consequences and benefits of those choices.  
     
• In School Vehicles:
  • Students of all ages and all staff members will be required to wear masks while being transported in school vehicles as required by federal order.
     
• During extracurricular activities:
  • District will continue to follow OHSAA guidelines and will implement future decisions as necessary.
  • Clubs and co-curricular activities will follow each building’s and/or advisor’s guidance.

Adult-Adult Interactions

• Adults interacting with other adults on school premises are highly encouraged, but not required, to wear masks.
• If in the presence of students required by the District to wear masks, adults will be required to wear masks while in buildings and school vehicles.

Layers of Protection

• Cleaning
  • Our service staff has elevated the level of cleaning and disinfecting throughout our District facilities during the last 17 months per best practices and guidance from the CDC.  We believe those cleaning regiments from our custodians meet and exceed expectations of surface cleaning and sanitation.  Additional cleaning and sanitation will be conducted as needed.
• Social distancing
  • District will work to maximize social distance with the goal of maintaining at least three feet of social distance wherever possible.
• Additional layers of protection
  • District will continue to utilize air purifiers in classrooms and offices.
  • Hand washing and proper cough/sneeze etiquette will be reinforced.
  • Students and staff are strongly encouraged to stay home when feeling ill.
  • Water bottle filling stations will remain the sole source of drinking water for students and staff.  Drinking fountains will remain inoperable.
  • Volunteer and visitor access will continue to be restricted.

The District will continue to monitor guidance, regulations, recommendations and mandates from PHDMC, Ohio Department of Health, and Centers for Disease Control for future guidance and possible changes to the above procedures.