According to a news release, Cherokee County will be returning to pre-pandemic protocols for opening its schools this upcoming 2021-2022 school year.
The news release, which the Cherokee County School District issued on Wednesday, states that the district will not be issuing mandated precautionary quarantines or guidelines to students or staff who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Once Principals are informed of a positive case among students or staff, they will notify any affected staff and email the parents of students in the affected classes informing them of a positive case in the class. Also, the district will not require infected individuals to go through precautionary quarantines.
Cherokee County also utilizes these state-mandated practices for other serious communicable diseases.
Students or staff who test positive for COVID-19 will be required to follow Department of Public Health guidelines. These guidelines outline that the infected must stay home for at least ten days after symptoms appear and be fever-free, without using fever-reducing medications, for 24 hours before returning to school.
Masks will not be required in schools or offices this year, but everyone is welcome to wear them.
CCSD is even going out of its way to provide disposable masks to individuals who request one.
While Cherokee County won’t require students and staff to have COVID-19 vaccinations, they are “encouraged and recommended.”
Schools will host open houses and walk-through events in the last week of July.
The schedule for all events is posted online at https://bit.ly/CCSDopen.
The supply list for schools will also be at https://bit.ly/CCSDsupplies.
Schools will return to their pre-pandemic routine operating procedures for lunchtime and class bell schedules.
Also, public school gatherings such as assemblies and field trips will resume.
Special events will open to parents and families again, and parent volunteers will be allowed to work throughout the school, including in classrooms.
Cherokee County is committing to investing in increased cleaning and sanitizing procedures at all school locations. While these measures cannot eliminate the spread of Covid-19, they can significantly help in the school’s fight against it.