Monroe Messages
A Newsletter of Monroe County Schools
Monroe County Schools Adjusts Covid Protocols

January 6, 2022 – The Monroe County Board of Education approved the following Covid-19 protocols at its called meeting on January 6, 2022.

 
  • Recommend masking for staff and students in school settings
  • Recommend that unvaccinated staff and students 5 years and older receive the Covid-19 vaccination and work with DPH as needed to set up vaccination schedules for willing staff and students
  • Contact trace exposures within 3 ft. for 15 minutes in the school setting, allowing parents the option to quarantine their child 
  • Use social distancing as needed to help reduce exposures
  • Visitors/Volunteers will be allowed in the school settings. Masking will be recommended for volunteers and visitors  
For Positive Test Results (Isolation)
 
  • Students and staff with positive test results (PCR or Rapid/At-Home Test) should isolate for 5 days
  • If after 5 days, the person is asymptomatic or his/her symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), follow by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting others
  • Students/staff can choose to isolate for a full 10 days, and may return on the 11th day without a fever
  • If students/staff have a fever, continue to stay home until the fever resolves 
For Exposure to Positive Case (Quarantine)

As a parent/guardian you have the option to quarantine your child. No mandatory quarantines will be required by the school system unless your child lives in the same household of a positive COVID-19 case and is unvaccinated or 90 days past receiving the final vaccine dose. 
 
If you choose to quarantine, the options are below:
 
  • Quarantine at home for 5 days. After 5 days of quarantine, return to school and continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days (if asymptomatic/fever free for 24 hours) 
  • Quarantine at home for 10 days. After 10 days, return to school on the 11th day (if asymptomatic/fever free for 24 hours)
  • If you develop symptoms during your quarantine, get tested and follow appropriate protocols 

These protocols will be reviewed again as needed based on the community spread rates in our area.
Monroe County Board of Education Approves
2022-2023 School Calendar

The Board of Education approved the 2022-2023 School Calendar at its December 14 meeting. 

This calendar was choice B in our community survey. With a majority response of 55.74% (665 votes), survey respondents consisting of parents, community, students, and staff voted for this calendar. Features of this calendar are:

Pre-planning July 26-29, First Day August 1, Labor Day September 5, Fall Break Week October 10-14, Thanksgiving Break November 21-25, Christmas Break December 19-December 30, PL Days January 2-3, MLK Day January 16, Winter Break February 20-21, PL Day March 17, Spring Break April 3-7, PL Day April 10, Last Day May 24, Post-planning May 25-26.


Thank you to all for reviewing the three calendar options. 
Parents' Ultimate Guide to Messenger Kids
Under the right circumstances -- and with plenty of oversight -- Messenger Kids can help young kids connect. But is social media OK for this age group? Full article here.

Source: Common Sense Media
MCS Radio

Samantha Stephens, the Monroe County Fine Arts Coordinator, is taking on a new role teacher, teacher. Emma Phelan sat down with Ms. Stephens to learn about her new guitar class at Mary Persons High School.

Also, sports fans get ready. There's a big basketball game coming up that you don't want to miss. Get all the details about the upcoming MPHS Alumni Game. 
 
4-H News
Community Service Opportunities

  • For January, 4-H will be making No-Sew blankets to donate to Salvation Army in Macon. Join them on January 20th at the 4-H Office from 3:30-5pm.

  • For February 4-H will be cleaning and repainting the Little Libraries to move to new locations. To help, join them February 14th at the 4-H Office from 3:30-5pm.
For more information on Monroe County Schools' COVID protocols & resources click here.
Click here to access the updated spreadsheet for COVID numbers. Browse through the tabs at the bottom of the sheet to get to the most recent data.