November 13, 2020
The Lee’s Summit School District released this update in email:
Dear LSR7 Parents and Guardians:
This year, LSR7 implemented robust contact tracing protocols to manage COVID-19 cases in our school community in alignment with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Jackson County Health Department (JCHD) guidance. Our current quarantine practices involve proactively quarantining students and staff when they are exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual in an effort to protect our school communities from the risk of widespread transmission.
Yesterday morning, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, the Department of Health and Senior Services and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced modifications to the state’s quarantine and isolation guidelines for Missouri schools during COVID-19. The revisions announced by the Governor’s Office would allow students who are identified as close contacts (exposed to a COVID-19 case) to no longer be required to quarantine if they a.) were wearing masks during the time of exposure and b.) are not showing symptoms.
The state’s new quarantine guidance is not a mandate, and was considered yesterday by the Jackson County and Kansas City Health Departments. Our local public health officials have determined that they will not change local protocols because the Missouri revisions do not align with CDC guidelines and would impact the regional health system’s ability to trace and investigate COVID-19 cases during a time when the Kansas City-metro is experiencing an increase in cases.
There are no changes to LSR7 quarantine protocols at this time. At the Board of Education meeting next week, Superintendent Dr. David Buck will recommend to elected officials that LSR7 maintain its current quarantine and isolation protocols, and continue to manage COVID-19 in alignment with CDC and JCHD guidance. We will communicate promptly with our school community with more information as necessary as we continue our work of mitigating the risks of COVID-19 in our school community, while serving the many needs of our students, staff and families.
Thank you for your support and cooperation.
Best,
Katy Bergen
Executive Director of Public Relations
