The Panhandle Public Health District, and the communities that make up Morrill Public Schools have significantly increased in Coronavirus Cases in the last 10 days. pphd.org
The staff, administration and board of Morrill Schools takes this pandemic very seriously and continues to strive to respond to it with effective strategies to keep students, staff, and the community at large healthy and safe. We are continuing to temperature check 3x daily, we are disinfecting regularly and using hand sanitizer many times throughout the day.
In light of the significant case escalation in the Panhandle and Scottsbluff County, we need parents to keep your children home if they are running a fever or are symptomatic AND we want to reemphasize our STRONG ENCOURAGEMENT for students and staff to wear masks.
According to PPHD, if all people are wearing masks and one of the mask wearers is identified with COVID - only the person with COVID will have to isolate for 10 days (immediate family members of said person would have to quarantine for 14 days).
On the other hand, if any in close contact with that person was not wearing a mask during the time of contact, those not wearing masks will have to quarantine for 14 days.
PLEASE carefully read this next statement: If many ARE WEARING MASKS but ONE PERSON with COVID is among those NOT WEARING MASKS... EVEN THE MASKS WEARERS determined to be close contacts will have to QUARANTINE. In light of this, we are asking our teachers to allow mask wearers in classrooms to sit together and those not wearing masks to sit together... those not wearing masks should not be able to jeopardize the continued attendance or participation of those wearing masks.
None of us want to cause or support division between students based on masks or for any other reason. However the case count is swelling in the panhandle and specifically in Scottsbluff County. We desire our students to be able to stay in school - physically, because face-to-face learning is much more effective than virtual learning especially for younger students.
Please think carefully about what will safeguard your child's attendance, but also sensitively contemplate what safeguards are necessary to protect the attendance and participation of the other students and staff close to your child. We believe and are committed to Face-To-Face Learning for every student, every day, all year! We are also committed to family choices. We want each family to choose what they think is best and right for their children, without jeopardizing what other families think is best and right for theirs.
So, in the words of our Commissioner of Education, "Attendance Matters, Stay in School, Wear a Mask."
Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19 and should stay home:
Fever or chills, Cough, Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, Fatigue, Muscle or body aches, Headache, New loss of taste or smell, Sore throat, Congestion or runny nose, Nausea or vomiting, Diarrhea