On January 24, 2022, the WV DHHR and WVDE has announced that all school systems in WV will begin reporting all COVID-19 cases to an online portal, organized and monitored by the WVDHHR. Like all counties in WV, Marion County Schools will report the number of positive staff and students for the prior week (Sunday to Saturday) to an online portal, which will be monitored by and available at the WV DHHR website: https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/Pages/default.aspx. This is based upon new guidance provided by the WVDE and WVDHHR (January 21, 2022). This chart will measure the percent positivity by now including home tests, PCR tests, rapids, and all positive cases whether those students and staff who have been in the school or not.
Additionally, on Tuesdays and Thursdays of each week, Marion County Schools will continue to share a chart, which will now be updated to include positive staff and positive students to include home, PCR, and quick tests reported according to updated WVDE guidance (January 21, 2022). Previously, there was no public health action permitted by the WVDHHR for a home test. An additional column called "No School Impact" will be added. This column means that a student or staff reported a positive case, but he/she was not present in our schools when positive or symptomatic and did not potentially expose others to COVID 19 in our schools. (For example, Max noticed he had symptoms over the last week when school was cancelled, over a weekend, or over a holiday break. He tested positive at home and reported it to MCS. Max is not returning to school until he is well, so he did not expose others in MCS.) The "No School Impact" column is consistent with how Marion County Schools has been reporting cases since the pandemic began .
Effective January 24, 2022, Marion County Schools may close a classroom, grade level, or school for a 7-day period to slow transmission, in consultation with the local health department under the following:
-COVID-19 percent positivity exceeds 20% for 3 consecutive days
-Staffing shortages
If cancelled related to the 20% positivity rate for 3 consecutive days, extracurricular events will be cancelled/postponed.
See the latest WVDE COVID-19 guidance (January 21, 2022): https://5il.co/14ma4.
Marion County Schools will continue to directly notify families of potential exposure to a positive case during lunch time or extracurricular activities for quarantine purposes.
Marion County Schools will continue to offer the testing clinics at Locust Ave. and North Marion High School campus, 9 AM to 11 AM, Monday through Friday, for those students, families, and staff who have COVID-19 symptoms or have been notified as being a potential exposure to a positive case that was reported to Marion County Schools. If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, please stay home. We encourage you to get a test to return. Please download the consent form and have it completed upon arrival at the testing center: https://5il.co/149nk.
Marion County Schools remains under a mask mandate through March 1, 2022, at which time it will be reassessed.
If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, please stay home. We encourage you to get a test.
Dr. Donna Hage, Superintendent