Policies and practices to keep the members of Fayette County schools safe have changed, with a universal shift in precautions that schools will now adhere to. 

While changes to precautionary measures have usually been made on a school-by-school basis, the Fayette County Board of Education released a statement detailing the methods in which action should be taken. These changes go into effect on August 31. 

While cases continue to rise, FCBOE has reinstated the virtual learning rules that require all teachers to host Zoom meetings for quarantined students. 

The biggest change has been with contact tracing, the steps a school takes to define who is at risk from the virus after exposure to a symptomatic individual. As of August 31, “students deemed a close contact due to an exposure at school will be allowed to continue to attend school in-person as long as they are not having symptoms of Covid-19.” 

If exposed and asymptomatic, students and their parents can choose to learn synchronously from home or continue to attend in person. 

Reaching farther than its planned deadline is the mask mandate, now for all public schools in Fayetteville. The face covering requirement will be reevaluated “once the school system as a whole… drop[s] below a one percent positive rate for two consecutive weeks…” As of now, this mandate would expire on September 17.

Masks are an inconvenient but necessary part of keeping staff and students safe at schools.

Covid-19 as the Delta variant is still spreading and highly contagious, infecting individuals with and without the vaccine. This makes masks one of the highest forms of protection, as they filter out the aerosols that the virus uses to spread.

To stay informed of any new changes to Covid-19 procedures, check the Board of Education website or follow the school district on Twitter.