Aug. 18, 2021
Ray-Pec community,

As we get closer to the first day of school, I want to reiterate some very important aspects about the new school year.

Current Fall 21-22 Covid-19 Protocols

The COVID-19 protocols that were recently approved can be found here. At the current time face coverings will be highly recommended, but not required, for all students in all indoor environments when physical distancing cannot be maintained. We ask for your cooperation with this face covering request. 
For students on school buses, face coverings are required as specified by a federal order.

Parents and students should know that wearing face coverings will greatly reduce the chances that a student will be quarantined should that student be a close contact of a person who tests positive for COVID-19, per recent Centers for Disease Control (CDC) protocols. Face coverings are highly recommended for all students as a way to keep students in school for the greatest amount of time and involved with performing arts, after school activities, sports and social events.  

Additionally, if a student or staff member is fully vaccinated, he/she will not be subject to quarantine. According to the CDC, a fully vaccinated person will need to monitor for COVID-like symptoms, get tested for COVID-19 three to five days after exposure, and wear a mask for 14 days or until a negative test is received. A fully vaccinated person will not be subject to quarantine.

All of our protocols, including face coverings, will be under consistent review. Under a new law that went into effect this school year, only the Board of Education can maintain a health-order requirement, such as a face covering requirement, if the local health department or other authority has not done so. The Board must review that decision every 21 to 30 days. The Ray-Pec Board of Education is committed to reviewing our data about COVID-19 often and making decisions based on that local data.

Vaccinations

Recently, Missouri Governor Parson’s office shared information that showed vaccines are the leading mitigation strategy to prevent individuals from getting infected by the virus and transmitting it to others. Children's Mercy Hospital updated its COVID-19 guidance for schools and said the same thing. I highly encourage you to talk to your healthcare provider about vaccinations for those who are eligible to receive a vaccine to see if they are right for your child. The more protection we can provide ourselves will go a long way towards having a successful in-person school year. For a list of vaccination providers near you, please visit this link.

Stay Home If You’re Sick

An important part of making in-person schooling work this fall will be keeping your child at home if they are sick or are exhibiting symptoms. If your child has a fever, fatigue, muscle aches, loss of taste or smell, or any other symptom listed here, please keep her/him at home. We will also need your cooperation with isolations or quarantines of your child if you are directed to do so by the Cass County Health Department (CCHD). This is critical to helping reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread in our classrooms.

Classroom or School Closures

With some uncertainty about how this year will progress, I need to keep this in front of you as a possibility. There is the potential for classroom or school closures and transition to temporary distance learning. Please think about and prepare a personal contingency plan should a classroom or school closure become necessary.

Communication of Positive COVID-19 Cases

During our summer school session, we began a new way of communicating positive COVID-19 cases. Instead of an email blast to all registered parent/guardian email addresses as we had done during the 20-21 school year, we invited those who wanted notifications of positive cases to sign-up for that email communication. We will continue to employ that communication strategy for the 21-22 school year. To receive the COVID-19 update email that includes notification of individual cases, you may subscribe here. We plan to communicate any positive cases in our schools to you starting on August 23.

While this year may present some challenges, I am very optimistic about the awesome learning opportunities that await our students. We have a lot to look forward to, and in Friday’s message, I plan to share some of the things I am looking forward to in this new school year.

Thank you for entrusting your children to the Ray-Pec School District,

Mike Slagle