Back after a long Christmas break that ended just as the omicron variant of the coronavirus began to sure in the area, school districts are adjusting as cases rise and public health guidelines change.
North Pike’s schools had 46 students across all campuses in quarantine last week.
South Pike had fewer than that, but Eva Gordon Elementary School has had 29 confirmed student infections since the beginning of the month, according to data from the Mississippi State Department of Health.
McComb officials reported on the district’s website that 35 students and 19 faculty and staff members tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
Amite County public schools had 20 students from its two campuses in quarantine last week, according to state health data.
Here’s a look at what’s happening in local schools:
McComb School District
Superintendent Dr. Cederick Ellis said the school district has seen a recent spike in cases among faculty and staff. Most of the cases are at Otken Elementary School, with nine students and five faculty and staff members testing positive.
“The McComb School District still has a mask policy in place so all of our students and adults should be wearing face coverings,” Ellis said.
Ellis said the district is trying to follow CDC recommendations. He said school buildings were sanitized over the holidays.
He noted he is trying to keep the doors open because virtual learning is tough on parents who must find someone to watch their children while parents go to work.
“We just want to make sure we work closely with our school nurses,” Ellis said.
Even though the CDC has reduced the quarantine requirement from 10 days to five, the district is keeping its quarantine police under the old guidelines.
“What we do say is some of these cases are not cured by the end of the five days, so we’re extending it to 10 days whenever we need to,” Ellis said.
The district has provided opportunities for people to be vaccinated and plans to continue to do so in the future.
“We have several vaccine clinics,” Ellis said. “We just had a vaccine clinic last Wednesday and that was for faculty, staff and anybody in the community who wants to come and have a vaccine.”
North Pike School District
Superintendent Dr. Jay Smith said he informs the school board of the number of COVID cases in the North Pike School District every Friday, but in the early part of 2022, the amount of positive tests have not increased.
“Currently, our numbers are not any higher now than they were during the height of the delta variant back during the first semester,” he said.
Based on CDC requirements, Smith said those who test positive for COVID are required to quarantine for five days as opposed to the 10 days in the past. Masks are required after coming back, but the extent of the requirement is conditional based on whether or not the individual is vaccinated.
“In terms of what we’re doing differently for us, we are trying to abide by the new guidelines the CDC put out regarding quarantines and isolations,” he said. “Outside of that change, right now, that’s pretty much it for us.”
Smith said he expects how the district will handle COVID issues going forward to be a topic of conversation at tonight’s board meeting.
Smith said a local pharmacy provided the vaccine to everyone in the district who wanted to take it during the first semester.
“We had quite a few staff members that took advantage of it, not as many students as you would have thought,” he said.
Amite County School District
Superintendent Don Cuevas said there have been COVID cases in the school district, but since the CDC requirement for quarantining is only five days, people are quickly returning to school.
Precautions are still being taken, he said.
“This year, we stay with our mask mandate,” Cuevas said. “We are still under our mask mandate. The kids wear them on the bus. Kids are kids. They’re going to make a mistake and pull them down. We just redirect them.”
Spectators are not allowed at home sporting events.
“We just want to give our kids the best chance to be able to continue sports — safety at the utmost,” Cuevas said.
At the moment, Cuevas said Amite County is forfeiting all away games for basketball, but that could change if COVID numbers drop.
“We will (forfeit) if we have to because it all comes down to the tournament at the end,” Cuevas said.
Cuevas said Amite County Medical Services has provided the vaccine for faculty and staff. He said a mobile in-house clinic is on campus for faculty and staff to be tested for COVID
If a student needs to be tested for COVID, Cuevas said he or she would see the nurse and then, with parental permission, could go to the mobile in-house clinic.
Cuevas estimated 70% of the staff has taken the vaccine and most have received the booster shot.
“We offered it to all staff members who wanted it,” he said.
Providing vaccines
Tim and Joan Stamps of Summit Express Pharmacy have provided vaccines and booster shots to the McComb, North Pike and South Pike school districts and Parklane Academy.
“Everybody from 5 to 18 has to have the Pfizer,” Joan Stamps, a RN who gave the majority of the shots, said citing FDA approval. “They don’t have an option for another one.”
She said she encountered some resistance, but a wide range of students and faculty members at the different schools took the vaccines,
“You’re going to have that no matter where, but people are wanting to take advantage of it,” she said. “They’re more concerned about COVID and they’re trying to keep their children healthy.”
Tim Stamps said taking the vaccine has helped reduce the CDC quarantine requirements from 10 to five days after testing positive for COVID as the cases are usually not as severe.
“It’s proven that the vaccine will lessen the chance of you getting the COVID and it will also lessen the severity of the disease when you get it,” he said. “It’s a better chance of you staying out of the hospital, out of the ICU and off of a vent.”
Attempts to reach South Pike School District Superintendent Donna Scott were unsuccessful.
