Bulloch Co Schools ends contact tracing for COVID exposures, positive cases will still be reported

In response to updated Department of Public Health (DPH) guidance, Bulloch County Schools is announcing that it will discontinue efforts to contact traces of exposure to positive COVID-19 cases in its schools and offices. .

From Bulloch Co Schools:

“This will reduce the burden on our nurses and administrative staff so they can redirect their time to tasks directly related to teaching and learning and routine health needs in our schools,” said Superintendent of Schools Charles Wilson.

Close contact tracing will end in the school district at 8 p.m. on January 21, after all close contact notifications for Friday are complete. The school district will continue to report cases of COVID-19 to the Department of Public Health and the public on a weekly basis.

Employees and parents of students should always use the school district’s online COVID-19 Absences tool or contact their school to report any of the following:

• You have a confirmed positive case of COVID-19
• You choose to self-quarantine for 5-10 days due to known close contact with a positive case
• You have symptoms of COVID-19 after close contact with a known positive COVID case and will self-isolate for 5-10 days

Families can follow Public Health Department guidelines of five full days of isolation or quarantine in these cases, or they can choose to have their child stay home for up to 10 days. Please contact your school if you choose the 10 day option.

The school district continues to encourage families to make health decisions that are best for their families and not send sick students to school. the Daily health guide for employees and students can help families continue to practice personal responsibility to perform a daily health self-check. It’s a useful reference for monitoring symptoms and knowing when to isolate or quarantine.

“It is imperative that we keep schools open and operating under the most normal conditions possible, providing our students with a sense of stability while ensuring their psychological, emotional, mental, academic and physical well-being,” said the Superintendent Charles Wilson.

Free weekly meals are available for pickup of isolated or quarantined children. During the time a child is isolated or quarantined, they are provided with distance learning by the school district.

Governor Brian Kemp and Public Health Commissioner Kathleen Toomey announced new COVID policies for Georgia schools on Thursday, January 6. The new policies eased contact tracing and quarantine requirements for teachers, as well as increased availability of testing across the state. This means that school districts, like schools in Bulloch County, have the option to choose not to conduct contact tracing. Several districts in the state are also ending the practice, as are several states such as Vermont, New York and Texas.