COVID in ‘downward spiral,’ NC district says in curtailing pandemic rules
A group of Union County parents is asking the state to intervene after the school board this week voted to end contact tracing and quarantine requirements in all of the district’s schools.
The decision, which impacts both students and staff, takes effect Monday and was made based on a “steady downward spiral” of COVID-19 cases, some members said. Only students and employees who are sick with COVID symptoms or who test positive are required to stay home. The policy change means Union County Public Schools will not require proactive isolation or quarantine of individuals who were exposed or suspect exposure to the virus.
“It’s very obvious we had a spike the week of Jan. 10, (with) 1,331 cases,” Union County Public Schools board member Gary Sides said. “The numbers are less than half now. (The) spike has occurred as predicted and is now falling.”
Union County’s positivity rate is 41%, Jarrod McCraw, the UCPS assistant superintendent of student support, told board members. Yet, the positivity rate within the school district is settling.
“That is what we’re hoping for,” McCraw said, adding that the number of new cases per day in UCPS is declining, as well.
Still, parents with SOS Union County/SOS United, are asking officials with Union County local government and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to enforce the Strong Schools NC Public Health Toolkit, which is largely guidance for K-12 schools on prevention and management of COVID-19 in schools.
On Tuesday, the board also voted to keep masks optional.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday did not answer questions from the Observer asking whether a district voting to end quarantine and contact tracing violates state health rules or regulations.
Last year, the Union County school board tangled with DHHS officials over a similar issue and ultimately, under the threat of legal action, the district restored a part of policy to require proactive quarantining among students and staff who had likely been exposed to COVID.
Bailey Pennington, of the office of communications for DHHS, told the Observer on Friday the StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit includes a layered prevention approach designed to prevent children, teachers and staff from becoming infected with COVID-19, and keep children and staff in the classroom.
The strategies include vaccination, boosters, masking, physical distancing, and testing.
“These strategies as outlined in the toolkit are designed to be nimble and responsive to the needs of each community,” Pennington said. “However, failure to use any of these prevention strategies greatly increases the risk of individuals in schools and the surrounding communities of becoming infected and sick with COVID-19.
“All schools should implement the guidance of the toolkit to best protect students and staff.”
Health experts recommend both contact tracing and close contact quarantining to cut down on possible coronavirus outbreaks in schools, the Observer previously reported. Under NC health rules, though, quarantine mandates often result in widespread absences and staff shortages, disrupting classrooms and families.
In January, many parents told the Observer they feel they’re living in an alternate reality, as COVID rules fall away in many aspects of public life except schools and day cares.
But Krystyn Smith, the founder of SOS Union County/SOS United, says the precautions are needed.
Smith said of the move to end contact tracing and many quarantines: “The BOE has removed the last barrier of informing and protecting the student body, their families, and UCPS staff of exposure to a virulent and damaging disease.”
Cases in schools
While UCPS no longer publishes a COVID dashboard on its website, Tahira Stalberte, the district’s assistant superintendent of communications and community relations, told the Observer on Wednesday that on Monday, the number of COVID cases among students and staff was 148. That number declined to 85 on Tuesday.
District officials said UCPS will “communicate additional information related to guidance and frequently asked questions” in the coming days.
“The safety of the students and staff is still of the utmost concern,” Sides said, “but also the mental health and closing the learning gap.”
Richard Daunt addressed concerns with contact tracing and quarantine protocols with the board prior to the vote.
“Where is the comfort for the families who have to pay for alternative childcare for the fourth time this school year because both parents have to work outside the home? Where is the comfort for the children who are losing significant in-person learning time and socialization during their crucial formative years?” Daunt said. “Let’s end the contact tracing and quarantines.”
Quarantines opposed
At the beginning of December, Union County officials called on the state to end contact tracing and quarantine requirements of public school students. Both county commissioners and school board members cited additional tools, like vaccinations, were available to help keep COVID-19 infection rates low.
Union County’s commissioners and Board of Education unanimously approved a joint resolution, which included input from Union County Public Health Director Dennis Joyner and County Manager Mark Watson.
The resolution points to the impact quarantining has on children who don’t have COVID-19: “The data and evidence consistently and strongly demonstrate that students who are sporadically, suddenly, and repeatedly excluded from school due to quarantine requirements have decreased academic performance, increased behavioral issues, and suffer emotional and psychological effects from the isolation and removal from peers.”
Union County officials also said the practice of quarantining children and excluding them from in-person student learning “imposes substantial costs on employers, special burdens on parents,” especially working parents.
Most school districts in North Carolina have avoided drastic quarantine interruptions by requiring masks, which not only provides protection but also reduces the need for mass quarantines under state health regulations. Union County was one of the few districts in the state that left masks optional since the beginning of the school year.
This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
