Clay County Health Releases School Guidelines

The Clay County Public Health Center released two documents with updated COVID-19 recommendations for school systems. The documents are designed to be a resource for administrators to safely return their school systems to full onsite learning.

In the Full Onsite Learning Guidance Update, the Public Health Center only recommends masks for unvaccinated adults in school buildings, and for unvaccinated staff and visitors in district offices. The Health Center no longer recommends requiring masks for students or fully vaccinated adults.

The guidance update is also not requiring any social distancing protocols, but does recommend practices such has varied lunch times, staggered drop-off and pick-up times and locations, and keeping students in the same group as much as possible.

The Kearney School District released a statement on their website outlining what procedures it will implement now that the new guidelines have been released.

The district’s policy is to follow the guidance shared by local, state and national public health agencies whenever there is communicable disease outbreak.

“In accordance with our Board policy and in alignment with CCPHC guidelines, we are making masks optional for students and vaccinated adults in KSD schools and other buildings,” according to a district announcement. “Unvaccinated adults should continue to wear masks while they are in our buildings. Even though masks are not required, students may still choose to wear them.”

For the Kearney School District, the new guidelines will be implemented on Monday, June 14. The district will update its own return-to-school guidelines as it follows the recommendations of the Public Health Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The School District has not lifted the masking policy in regards to school busses.

Students and adults are still required to wear masks in buses. The district cites the guidelines issued by the CDC for keeping masks on inside a school bus.

If parents have questions or feedback about the updated information or policies, they should email communications@ksdr1.net. The Public Health Center documents can be found on their website.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story