Based on the Ohio Department of Health’s latest guidelines of January 26, 2022, the public health mitigation strategies have been adjusted to address new challenges.
- Beginning February 04, 2022, Valley Local School District is no longer required to track in-home close contacts. This means if a student is an in-home contact, upon their return to school, the student is responsible for bringing in a note or medical documents that includes the dates that the student was absent related to being a contact.
- Based on the Mask to Stay/Test to Play, which is a part of the VLSD return policy, direct contacts (this includes students and staff), regardless of vaccination or masking status, may remain in the classroom environment if they do the following:
- required to mask for 10 days after their last date of exposure,
- Self-monitor, or parent-monitor, for symptoms of COVID-19,
- Optional testing on Day 5 or after,
- Isolate and get tested if they start to experience symptoms associated with COVID-19 (regardless of the level of severity).
For further information on Mask to Stay/Test to play please visit https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/responsible/schools/k-12-schools-quarantine-alternative.pdf
For further information about steps to take after exposure or a positive test please visit https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/docs/covid-19-guidance-quarantine.pdf
The only contact tracing that will be performed by the VLSD will be for positive students who have been in direct contact with others within the school two days prior to symptom onset and/or for certain circumstances such as outbreaks or clusters. “The best place for students is in school, in-person, full time”, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, Director, Ohio Dept. of Health.
School case reporting will also be changed to weekly. VLSD will report the number of positive student and staff cases to the local health department and post the numbers on the school's website by close of business on Fridays.
As Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, Director Ohio Dept. of Health put it in his latest guidance “Exposure is everywhere. Practice safety measures”.
- Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations, including booster doses. The vaccine has proven to be the “best prevention tool we have against severe illness and death”.
- It is of great importance that mask-wearing, physical distancing, improving ventilation, hand washing, cough etiquette, testing, and staying home if you are sick is to be reinforced.