Cooper County Health Department worked with Boonville R-I on new quarantine guidelines
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Cooper County Health Department said it worked with Boonville R-I on loosening quarantine guidelines for students.
The Boonville Board of Education approved the measure at its meeting Wednesday night, which at least two state departments have criticized.
Melanie Hutton with the health department said health workers have closely monitored Boonville schools since the semester started. She added there has been no COVID-19 transmission in the school district.
The new policy says if a student comes into contact with a positive case inside \the school, and both parties are wearing a mask, the close contact would still be allowed to attend class in-person, and would not be subjected to a mandatory quarantine.
Families do have the option of taking their students out of school, should the situation arise.
Boonville Superintendent Sarah Marriott said if it weren't for the district working with the health department, the measure would not have passed.
Hutton said the district and health department are trying out the policy on a trial basis.
Marriott said the leash for the new policy is short. If any student is found to have contracted COVID-19 through transmission in the school, the trial will end.
Hutton added a big piece of this policy is requiring masks. Most schools in the district did not previously require masks to be worn at all times.
Both the Department of Health and Human Services and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education have expressed, "serious concerns" about the weakened rule.
In Missouri, local jurisdictions, like boards of education, are allowed to supercede state and federal guidelines.
Both departments pointed to guidance on close contacts and COVID-19 exposures in school which was published in August.
"Research indicates that wearing masks may help those who are infected from spreading the infection to others. However, there is less information regarding whether masks offer protection for a contact exposed to a symptomatic, or asymptomatic patient," the release said.
The education department went on to say in an email, it "strongly advises against deviating from existing state and national standards of care."
