Winona Area Public Schools
The following is a letter sent from Superintendent Dr. Annette K. Freiheit to Winona Area Public Schools families on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022.
Dear Winona Area Public Schools families,
We are making several changes to our health and safety protocols. These changes were made in order to have sustainable, realistic practices and to align our requirements to the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
The protocols, approved by the school board on Thursday night, will go into effect on Monday, Jan. 24.
The full list is available at this link, but here are the highlights:
- ISOLATION: People who test positive for COVID-19 must stay home and isolate for at least five days from the day they were tested. Day 0 is the day the person was tested. If you have symptoms, the isolation period may need to be extended.
- QUARANTINE: People who had close contact with a positive case and are not fully vaccinated must quarantine for five full days and are encouraged to get tested at least five days after having close contact. Fully vaccinated individuals do not need to quarantine, provided they don’t have symptoms.
- CONTACT TRACING: It is no longer feasible to conduct contact tracing for every positive COVID-19 case. Contact tracing will only be conducted if there is a high risk situation among individuals who are not required to wear face coverings.
- MASKS: The universal mask requirement remains in effect during the instructional day.
We want to be clear: The surge in COVID-19 transmission has made this situation challenging for everyone involved. No matter how many mitigation strategies we have in place, the reality is your child may be exposed to COVID-19 while at school, just as they would in any congregate setting.
People who are currently in isolation may be able to return earlier than the return date they were first given (refer to the table below). If your symptoms are improving and you have been fever free for 24 hours (without the use of fever reducing medication), isolation may end after five full days if you can wear a well fitting mask.
| Date Tested | Earliest Return Date |
|---|---|
| Tested positive on or before Tuesday, January 18, 2022 | Monday, January 24, 2022 |
| Tested positive on Wednesday, January 19, 2022 | Tuesday, January 25, 2022 |
| Tested positive on Thursday, January 20, 2022 | Wednesday, January 26, 2022 |
| Tested positive on Friday, January 21, 2022 | Thursday, January 27, 2022 |
It is vitally important that our families monitor for symptoms. If your child is sick, please keep your child home from school and activities until the symptoms are no longer present. It is strongly recommended to seek testing if your child develops symptoms, and free rapid tests are available for WAPS students. Rapid tests can be picked up at the main office of your child’s school. We also continue to encourage the vaccine.
We all have a part to play in limiting the spread of COVID-19, keeping our neighbors healthy and maintaining in-person learning opportunities for our students.
Thank you for your continued kindness, consideration and support. It is truly appreciated.
Dr. Annette K. Freiheit
Superintendent
Winona Area Public Schools