LUDLOW, Vt. – The Two Rivers Supervisory Union has issued their school opening guidance for all schools within the district including the four elementary schools in Cavendish, Chester, Ludlow and Mount Holly, as well as the Green Mountain Union Middle School and High School.
Each of the school boards within the district, Green Mountain Unified School District and Ludlow Mount Holly Unified Union School District voted to give the superintendent the authority to set all health guidance for back to school in-person learning.
Certain categories such as busing, masking, and quarantining procedures are consistent across all schools. Lunch at the elementary schools and the middle school will be eaten within the classroom. Lunch in the high school will be a hybrid model with some students in classroom and some in the cafeteria. Each of the elementary schools has their own drop off and pick up procedures specific to their building. Those specific procedures will be distributed through each school.
For busing, masks are required for all students and staff regardless of vaccination status. There is assigned seating for all students to assist in contact-tracing should it become necessary. There will not be bus monitors this year.
All students and staff will be required to wear masks when indoors. The TRSU has determined that they will follow the recommendations of the Vermont Agency of Education, which recommends that masks can only be removed once 80% of students have received a second dose of the vaccine. All students and staff across all the schools will be required to wear masks for at least the first two weeks while vaccination data is captured and tabulated. Since elementary aged students under 12 have not yet been approved to receive a vaccine, they will continue to wear masks indoors until further notice. If and when GMUHS reaches 80% vaccination status, they can then remove masks.
Masks will be removed during lunch times. Students will be as distanced as possible from each other during meals. Students must bring and wear their masks to school. They will be instructed on proper use, cleaning, handling, and disposal of masks. Facial coverings need to be “school appropriate” in design.
Whether vaccinated or not, students and staff should stay at home if they have symptoms of Covid-19, such as a cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell; have a fever temperature higher than 100.4 degrees; have a significant new rash, particularly when other symptoms are present; have a large amount of nasal discharge in the absence of an allergy diagnosis; if they are unvaccinated and have been in close contact with someone with Covid-19 in the last 14 days.
If a student becomes ill at school, parents, guardians, or caregivers will be contacted immediately to pick up their child. Multiple contact numbers will be captured for all students. If a student will be out, they should contact the school to coordinate receiving their assignments.
For middle and high school students, if someone in any class has a presumptive case of Covid-19, the entire class may need to stay at home and learn remotely for a time.
Any student or staff who have been vaccinated will not need to quarantine after exposure to Covid unless they are having symptoms – or the Department of Health recommends quarantine. This could change if pandemic conditions change, however.
Those who have not been vaccinated may return only after 14 days free from any initial symptoms, fever-free without fever-reducing medication for 48 hours, and are no longer considered contagious based on current guidelines from the Vermont Department of Health.
Across all schools, students will be outdoors as much as is possible while maintaining instruction and daily routines. TRSU suggests sending students with their own water bottle, sunscreen, bug spray, hat, and sunglasses labeled with the student’s name. Classroom windows should remain open as much as possible. There will be no sharing of food and drinks, utensils, or water bottles allowed.
The TRSU will continue to provide updates as appropriate and the administration of each school will provide individual school information.
The TRSU will also continue to make all necessary adjustments as directed by the CDC, the Vermont Agency of Education, and the Vermont Department of Health.
Classes begin for all schools Tuesday, Sept. 7.