Opening of School Update

News Release                                                                 July 20, 2021

On behalf of Monroe County Schools, please be advised that, based on the Governor's decision through Executive Order to end the Public Health State of Emergency on June 30, 2021, and the significant improvement of the state of public health, we are returning to pre-pandemic school operations for the 2021-22 school year, which begins August. 2, 2021.  More back-to-school information will be shared with our families in the upcoming editions of Monroe Messages and through our school websites.
  • MCS will not issue mandated precautionary quarantines to students or staff for close contact at school with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. When principals are informed of a positive case among students or staff, they will notify any affected staff and email a notification to the parents of students in the affected classes notifying them of the positive case and the important need to monitor for symptoms, but no precautionary quarantines will be required. This is the same state-mandated practice MCS follows for other serious communicable diseases.
  • Students or staff who test positive for COVID-19 will continue to follow Department of Public Health guidelines, which require you to stay home for 10 days since symptoms first appeared and be fever-free, without use of fever-reducing medications, for 24 hours before returning to school.
  • Staff and students are not required to wear masks in MCS schools or offices at any time, but can choose to wear them. MCS will continue to provide disposable masks to individuals who might request them.
  • COVID-19 vaccinations are not required for employees or students, but are encouraged and recommended. The Monroe County Health Department and many local healthcare providers have COVID-19 vaccines readily available, so there are no plans to host COVID-19 vaccination events at MCS schools or offices.
  • Schools will hold open house and schedule pick-up events the last week of July. Individual schools will notify parents and students regarding the dates and times of these school events.
  • Schools will return to their normal operating procedures for lunchtime and class instruction. Assemblies and field trips will resume. Special events open to parents and families will resume, and parent volunteers will be permitted to work throughout the school, including classrooms.
  • MCS will continue to invest in increased cleaning and sanitizing at all school locations and will continue to provide surface and hand sanitizer spray to classrooms. All HVAC units at all schools have been upgraded to include bi-polar ionization air quality systems.
  • The school system will continue to monitor COVID-19 cases in our community and area and will adjust mitigation protocols as needed.



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25 Brooklyn Avenue, P.O. Box 1308  | Forsyth, GA 31029 | Phone 478.994.2031  | Fax 478.994.3364 | www.monroe.k12.ga.us
Monroe County School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, or sex in its employment practices, student programs and dealings with the public. It is the policy of the Board of Education to comply fully with the requirements of Title VI, Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act and all accompanying regulations. As a result, the following people have been appointed to oversee specific areas. Title II, Adult 504, Adult Title IX  Dr. Mike Hickman 25 Brooklyn Avenue, Forsyth, GA 31029 478-994-2031 Student and Athletic Title IX Jackson Daniel 25 Brooklyn Avenue, Forsyth, GA 31029 Student 504 Jenny Rooks 25 Brooklyn Avenue Forsyth, GA 31029  
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