While Covid-19 is still ongoing, USD 394 has new ways of handling it. Although some things have gone back to normal, there are still some protocols in place, and some new ones that the district will have to follow. 

Last year, there was social distancing and masks were mandatory. This year, masks are highly recommended and social distancing is not as high of a priority.

This year, remote learning will not be available, because the state is not offering hybrid or remote learning to attempt to get students back in the classroom. 

Since the state isn’t doing remote learning, students will not be sent home if they were in contact with someone with the virus. 

“The state and the feds left it up to individual districts to make decisions on masks or not,” Rose Hill Assistant Principal Aaron Jackson said. “With people getting the vaccine and people already contracting the virus, the state and feds are now highly recommending masks, rather than requiring them.”

When a person is in contact with someone with the virus, they will be given a Covid test at the school from the nurse’s office. Students will be given these tests for the same amount of time that they would be quarantined for. 

If the test comes back negative, then they can go to class, but if it is positive they will be sent home and the people they were in contact with will have to be tested.