Beginning February 8th, Dassel-Cokato Schools will be implementing new processes regarding contact tracing.

Contact-tracing was developed to determine close-contacts and provide notification of recent exposure to COVID-19.    Last year it was required of schools and relies on limited interactions to provide the most accurate notifications.  However, school systems operate best when staff and students are both active participants and interactive with each other - it's how we work and learn best.

Dassel-Cokato Schools has taken the below factors into consideration as we implement a new process.

• Over the past couple of months, we have seen a continual decrease in the actions taken by families who receive close contact notifications.  
• A couple of weeks ago, our isolation and quarantine guidance were updated to align with the CDCs:
• Isolation periods were moved from 10 days to 5 days and those who test negative, after five days, are returning to school and work.  
• Quarantines are no longer recommended for vaccinated people or those who have had COVID-19 within the past three months.
• Quarantine periods have also been shortened from 10 days to 5 as well.
• The vaccine is widely available to students of all ages, the ability to test is easily accessible, and many families are content with monitoring the health of their students.

Students and staff are still asked to report positive COVID-19 cases to the school district.  

Dassel and Cokato Elementary Schools, Preschool, Early Childhood: Classroom notification
Dassel-Cokato Middle School: Classroom notification
Dassel-Cokato High School / ALC: No longer contact-tracing*
*High school daily and extracurricular schedules make contact tracing exceedingly difficult and, as such, students will continue to be asked to monitor one’s health and stay home when ill.

On January 4th, the CDC announced an update to the recommended duration of quarantines and isolation periods. 

The guidance now defines an isolation period as days 1-5 with a return to school/work while wearing a mask days 6-10. The CDC issued the guidance update based upon closely monitoring emerging science, infectious periods, vaccine/booster effectiveness, and the Omicron variant.

113 studies conducted across 17 countries show the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early on (1-2 days prior to symptom development) and subsides substantially within a few days of symptom onset.  Omicron, the now dominant variant, has a much shorter incubation period (2-4 days) and a reduced likelihood of causing severe disease.  

Shorter isolation/quarantine periods help people “return to work and focus on individual and social well-being.”  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - COVID-19

CDC’s Updated COVID-19 Isolation/Quarantine Guidance:

Under the new guidance, a person can come out of isolation after 5 days if they are feeling better/fever-free for 24 hours and wear a mask for the 5 days following.  

• In a school setting where masks are not currently required, bringing students back in this capacity would be an exceedingly difficult staff obligation and one we are not equipped to successfully implement.
• Under the new guidance, a person returning to school for days 6-10 would not be required to test but simply wear a mask, meaning that person could still be positive but able to return unknowingly.  

Dassel-Cokato Schools is working to return students and staff as quickly as is safely possible and, as such, will require a negative antigen test in order to utilize the reduced isolation period.  Testing is only required if you wish to return in the reduced isolation period.  Those not wishing to test will complete the full 10 day isolation period.

For more information please see the Safe Learning Plan 2021-2022