The Carroll Community School District (CCSD) Board of Education formally approved their Return to Learn plan for the 2021-22 school year at last night’s (Monday) meeting. Superintendent, Dr. Casey Berlau, explained each section of the plan to school officials, beginning with masks. He says masks will be optional for students, staff and visitors on school grounds. The plan initially contained language indicating masks would also be optional on school buses, but the board changed it to required to comply with an executive order from President Biden in January.
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Several board members questioned how drivers would be expected to manage the mask requirement. Berlau says the drivers’ top priority has been and continues to be operating buses safely, and they do not anticipate any disruptions if a student is seen without a face covering. He points out there are some obvious differences from last year’s plan regarding contact tracing and positive cases.
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The plan contains a 10-day exclusion from educational settings for students and staff exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, but the responsibility of reporting cases to the district falls to parents and staff members directly rather than Carroll County Public Health. According to Berlau, the only obvious similarity to the 2020-21 Return to Learn plan are the increased sanitation protocols. Board member, Duane Horsley, says this year should feel like back to normal based on what is in the plan.
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The board voted unanimously for approval, including the change to require masks on district transportation. The 2021-22 Return to Learn plan in its entirety can be found included below.
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*The plan linked below does not include the change requiring masks on district transportation*
Click HERE for CCSD’s 2021-22 Return to Learn Plan