COVID-19 rules across Middle Georgia. 232 0 obj <> endobj After this 5 days, persons should still do all they can to reduce contact for the remaining five days, including continuing to wear a mask, even in the house. The Baldwin County School System, the states third largest, became the first known district in Alabama to dip into its local funds and spend $2.3 million for a second round of bonuses to teachers and staff. If a bonus is offered, Id never suggest anyone to decline the offer, said Elfriede Marsh, the AEA Uniserv District director who represents nine school systems in the Wiregrass. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. ADPH has received questions from providers for guidance for doctors' offices on the use of results from testing performed within the home using home test kits to allow a return or continuation of children in schools. The mission of the Baldwin County Commission is to provide customer-focused services to people who live, work and visit Baldwin County so they can enjoy a safe and thriving community and experience our unique heritage and natural resources. Persons returning from COVID-19 shortened isolation must wear masks for 10 days after the onset of symptoms and/or positive test or last exposure to a case. Quarantines at Hartland Consolidated Schools in Livingston County also led district officials to impose a mask mandate for one of its elementary schools. COVID-19: Early Care and Education Programs 211 Wisconsin Alabama, like many states, had a teacher shortage in many disciplines before the pandemic. See information about ongoing household exposure. An August 19 school board meeting allowed both sides of the contentious debate to speak about the pros and cons of having children wearing face masks, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers. She found other schools requiring masks for children under 12, and the county has since issued an order requiring masks for students in all types of schools. The one-time boost will go out in paychecks to approximately 3,900 full-time active employees next week. One of Alabamas largest school districts will continue with its mask mandate policy for another two weeks beyond Labor Day weekend. How is Baldwin County faring against COVID-19, both overall and at a state level? See a showcase of all DHS webinars for local public health and school stakeholders. Hughes said in the last week he had been notified of at least six positive or probable Covid-19cases at the school. Ryan Hollingsworth, executive director of the School Superintendents of Alabama, said the beginning of the school year has been by far, the most challenging for everyone association with education. 6/12 STRESS AND COPING. But at South Baldwin Regional Medical Center in Foley, a 14-member team of healthcare professionals dispatched by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services remain in place to assist with a surge of patients. I am very hopeful this will be enough time (by September 21) but if the numbers have not fallen sufficiently by then, we will continue the mask requirement and revisit the removal again on Fall Break, October 8, Tyler wrote. In addition, full-time school employees are getting a $1,000 annual retention incentive that will be paid out in semi-annual installments at the end of December 2022 and 2023. Well be better prepared to do it this year because we had a lot of time to practice it last year, she said. I do not like masks. Rogers School Board extends emergency covid-19 leave policy In Baldwin County, there were 0 newly reported COVID-19 cases and 0 newly reported COVID-19 deaths on Feb 05, 2023. It also didnt hurt that the bonuses were largely financed with federal money through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was approved in March 2020. There were 15 total cases (14 students, one staff) the first week of November, but the second week, Nov. 8-12, there were no positives reported among the over 5,300 combined Baldwin County students and employees. Baldwin County School Board meeting, August 19, 2021. In August, 2022, DPI published updated guidance for K-12 schools, titled COVID-19 Infection Control and Mitigation Measures for Wisconsin Schools 2022/2023. Other schools are not anticipating a second round of bonuses that are paid for out of local funds, though some school board members hope their administrators consider it. Many are also covering for fellow staff members who have to quarantine and isolate., She added, Teaching is always a challenging job, but dealing with COVID and COVID protocols has made it exponentially harder. Many families and school officials had hoped that this school year would bring more normalcy and consistency for students. Neither are planning to do so right now. Back to school 2021: Heres where to find your Alabama school mask, COVID reopening plans, Where Im supposed to be: Black Belt program finds success in rural teacher shortage. In many of the conversations I am having with our educators, the absence of additional COVID leave days seem to be the biggest concern they have, said Nichole King, AEA Uniserv director for the district representing Baldwin County and Gulf Shores city schools. The districts 726 substitute teachers, who work 100 hours from August 1 to December 3, will get a $250 boost. But others are being sent home with only paper packets or are receiving no instruction at all a worrying indication that many students could face another year of stop-and-start learning. She said she believes school systems should authorize a bonus if funds are available, but added, I feel systems should increase employees salaries instead of offering bonuses.. The delta variant is infecting Alabamas schools while the state struggles to boost its vaccination rate. As COVID cases rise, students across the country are seeing the start of their year disrupted by quarantines. . The Baldwin County School Board holds a public hearing into the school district's COVID-19 protocols including a mask mandate on Thursday, August 19, 2021, in Loxley, Ala. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com). In Baldwin County, a Back-to-School will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Thomas Fitness Center in Fairhope. Elsewhere, parents are trying to avoid possible disruption on their own. This page will be updated with the most recent data as frequently as possible. SCHOOL DISTRICT COVID-19 DATA. Information to reduce COVID-19 disease is provided to keep all people as safe as possible from being sick. For more information and support, visit the U.S. Department of Educations Disability Rights webpage. A confirmed outbreak of COVID-19 is defined as three or more confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 identified in the facility who meet the criteria for a facility-associated case, with onset dates or positive test results within 14 days of each other, who were not identified as close contacts of each other in another setting (i.e., household), AND are epidemiologically linked in the facility setting or a school setting-sanctioned extracurricular activity. From cities to rural towns, stay informed on where COVID-19 is spreading to understand how it could affect families, commerce, and travel. Price pointed to declining case numbers in the community and within the school district itself as key reasons, in addition to the fact that the COVID vaccine has now been made available to children ages 5 and up. All rights reserved (About Us). We do not recommend that the home test kits be utilized for this purpose. which gave out $350 in bonus pay late last year. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Low 47F. At the same time, only 5.2% of children ages 12-17 are fully vaccinated in Alabama, and Fisher said he is worried it will. This is why CDC recommends mask use for 10 days, even with shortened isolation or quarantine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Find help with housing, income, food, employment, health care, mental health concerns, safety at home, and morein multiple languages. Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. More Videos Next up in 5 The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. Kids in Baldwin County got an early start for their first day back at school. Students with immunocompromising conditions or other conditions or disabilities that increase risk for getting very sick with COVID-19 should not be placed into separate classrooms or otherwise segregated from other students. CDC has not changed mask guidance, at this time, and continues to allow a well fitted mask of tightly woven breathable material, such as cotton fabric, consistently and correctly worn over the nose and mouth. Persons exposed to COVID-19 in a household should be tested 5 days after exposure, even without symptoms. However, N-95 still needs to be properly fitted, and not all persons can comfortably wear N-95 for extended periods of time. adopted teacher and staff bonuses last year ahead of Christmas, which approved $1,200 bonuses to full-time staff in March, Tyler authorized a mandatory mask-mandate for students in grades 2 and above in late July, he has said that his goal is to prevent a school from closing because of a COVID-19 outbreak. Q If an athlete has moderate to severe COVID-19 illness, it is very important to consult with the athletes healthcare provider prior to return to play. But it will mainly have an impact on the retention of teachers in that district.. The quarantines meant theattendance rate fell below the required 75% level thestate wouldcount as an instructional day. Both schools offered extraordinary compensation for teachers and staff last year ahead of the holidays. On Wednesday, Michigan added 4,326 new COVID-19 cases and 38 deaths from the virus. For additional information, visit. Case numbers never got out of control, but have still gone way down since those first few weeks of school. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Others are adjusting expectations. Padgett says her children didnt have the option to do lessons online and werent given hotspots or laptops, though other schools in their Mississippi district transitioned to virtual learning. This testing program is intended to help K-12 public, private and independent charter schools provide safe and healthy learning environments. Theyre really wanting to be in school, she said. Then her other two school-age children had to stay home, too. Baldwin County is averaging 149 new cases per day over the past week. 2snU=~"#LBtu_cgK3@_|t[RB.q~h5lnSl^KP@jQA?7PT( >D"On'znFYA)da Stop the Spread of Rumors with Accurate Information on . Revised COVID-19 K-12 School Surveillance Guidance for Identification and Classification of Outbreaks. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. A Michigan school districthas canceled classes for the rest of the week after students have been quarantinedfor flu-like symptoms, officials said. The school systems mask policy is in place for all children in grades 2 and up. Masks are not recommended for children under ages 2 years and younger, or for people with some disabilities. Call 211 or 877-947-2211 to get referrals for thousands of services across Wisconsin. I believe school boards will be looking at myriad ways to support and show appreciation for teachers who continue to teach class while also providing instruction for students needing to isolate and quarantine, said Sally Smith, executive director of the Alabama Association of School Boards. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Generally, economists will think it has a bigger impact on retention than on recruitment, Goldhaber said. But many schools have reopened without requiring masks, and its not clear how widely this quarantining guidance has trickled down to districts. Her four children, who are in second to eighth grade, spent most of the last year learning online, and she didnt want anything to add to the likelihood of repeating that experience.