News

Loyalsock School District; asymptomatic student, staff, no longer have to quarantine

The Loyalsock Township School Board this week revised its health and safety plan for COVID-19 to no longer require students and staff who are asymptomatic to be quarantined.

In addition, the district will no longer contact trace close contacts in the school setting.

The board voted 7-1 in favor of the revised plan after hearing several administrators speak to the difficulty of educating students during the pandemic.

Voting in favor were Charles "Chip" Edmonds, Hal Gee, Christina Kiessling, Robert Leidhecker, Marissa Moore, Carolyn Strickland and Michael Zicolello. Melvin Wentzel voted against.

Wentzel said his concern is to keep everyone safe.

"I strongly support all students and staff to wear masks and get vaccinations," he said. "Quarantining is not an issue with me but how to keep students in school."

Under the revised plan, masking students and staff will be optional. However, masks will continue to be required on school buses.

Edmonds said, "All we can do to keep kids in the classroom, we should do."

Superintendent Gerald McLauglin said the goal of the district is to help students reach their full potential.

"I think we are struggling with that now," he said.

Elementary principal Matthew Johnson said a considerable amount of time has been spent in contact tracing.

Quarantining students forces them to miss valuable classroom time.

"These kids are losing fundamental skills they need," he said.

Suzanne Foresman, supervisor of curriculum and instruction, said too many kids have been quarantined that should not be.

"When they return from quarantine, they are so far behind," she said. "We have to have our kids here and keep them here."

"Our number one job is to educate kids," high school principal Matthew Reitz said. "These kids are missing so much academic time."

McLaughlin said the district will be identifying positive cases and quarantining positive students.

"However, if we have a case at school and there are family members involved, they are considered household contacts," he stated.

As an example, he noted that if a student tests positive and has a sibling in school, the sibling would be quarantined unless they are vaccinated and without symptoms.

"This year has been much more of a challenge in the community," he said.