Monroe County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Hickman announced Sunday, November 29, that he would be isolating at home after testing positive for Covid-19. With symptoms developing mid-week during Thanksgiving holidays, no Central Office staff members were exposed by Dr. Hickman's case.
According to Dr. Hickman, he began to feel bad late on Wednesday and symptoms became progressively worse on Thursday and Friday. By Sunday, Dr. Hickman said he was beginning to feel better although some symptoms were persisting.
"My plan is to work from home during my isolation period," he said.
Dr. Hickman's diagnosis of Covid-19 is the latest in what has been an increasing trend of cases in the school system during the past month. Positive cases among both staff and students at every school campus have prompted isolations for those testing positive and quarantines for those exposed to the positive cases. Just before Thanksgiving holidays began, the Board of Education met in a called session to consider steps to mitigate the school populations and thus the incidents of exposure.
Starting today (Monday, November 30), Monroe County Middle School students will attend split, or A/B, classes with students attending face to face classes on Mondays and Tuesdays or on Thursday and Friday as assigned by school administrators. On all other days, instruction will be delivered virtually via online sessions.
Mary Persons High School will move to split sessions starting with the second semester following Christmas holidays on January 7, 2021. All three elementary schools will continue with the current schedule of face-to-face classes five days a week.
The Monroe County Achievement Center will hold face-to-face classes four days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) starting with the second semester. This move aligns with the bus routes for middle and high school students.
The system continues to follow the guidelines of the Department of Public Health in isolating and quarantining students either positive for Covid or who have been in close contact with a positive case. The DPH classifies close contact as being within six feet of the person with Covid-19 for 15 minutes or more. When this is determined, parents of affected students are asked to quarantine their children at home for a specified period of time. Appropriate information from public health is provided to the parents as guidance.
The school system strongly urges all staff, students, and parents to follow these actions to combat the spread of Covid and all other illnesses:
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Wear masks when at school, on the school bus, or in public areas.
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Maximize distancing in all public settings.
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Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care.
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Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
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Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
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Wash your hands often with soap and water or approved hand sanitizer.
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