Wittenberg-Birnamwood School Board approves COVID-19 guidelines

The Wittenberg-Birnamwood School Board voted to fully open the school district for the 2021-2022 school year, similar to what the school district did last year.

“We felt that what we did last year was necessary,” said Wittenberg-Birnamwood superintendent Garrett Rogowski.

He said that normal illness practices will be in place in the school district.

“Parents and guardians should monitor symptoms of their child and keep them home if they are sick,” said Rogowski. “The staff will also monitor symptoms and stay home if they are sick.”

Rogowski also said that hand washing and disinfection will be highly promoted throughout the schools, focusing on areas of high traffic throughout the school district. Officials in the school will also adhere to school vaccination requirements and encourage recommended vaccinations.

The school will also follow exclusion criteria per Wisconsin Communicable Diseases requirements.

“For example, if a student has strep throat, they are on anti-biotics for 24 hours before they return to school,” said Wittenberg-Birnamwood nurse Becky Wendel. “We are going to continue to do the things that we were doing before COVID.”

In terms of COVID-19 reduction practices, Rogowski outlined a plan for trying to reduce the amount of cases in the schools.

“Students or staff with COVID like symptoms should stay home, notify their healthcare provider and test for COVID if indicated,” said Rogowski. “If someone is not tested for COVID-19 then they will isolate for ten days from the date of system onset unless another medical diagnosis is made.”

According to Rogowski, if students do have COVID-like symptoms at school, that student will be sent home with instructions for parents to consult with their healthcare provider.

Rogowski emphasised that household contacts of COVID positive individuals are quarantined from school per the department of health services guidelines.

“If my son gets COVID, my daughters that also attend school here would have to quarantine,” said Rogowski. “We cannot make an exception for a household contact.”

If the household contacts are vaccinated and are asymptomatic the exception would become valid.

If a student is sent home with COVID, Rogowski said that teachers are expected to keep that student up to date with the lesson plans. He said that this can be achieved through the student’s Chromebook and through Google Classroom.

Masking and social distancing will be optional in the school district.

“That is a parent’s and student’s choice,” said Rogowski. “If they choose to wear a mask that is perfectly acceptable, but we are not mandating that they have to wear it.”

Rogowski added that there are no schools in Shawano County that are requiring students to wear masks.

Administration at the school district will determine who needs to be sent home through contact tracing.

The school district will also provide testing services from Accelerated Clinical Laboratories. Students, staff and families will have the opportunity to be tested here.

“We haven’t worked out all of the details yet,” said Wendel. “What we discussed is that we will offer both antigen and PCR testing. So, if you want to test because you are a close contact without symptoms antigen is typically regarded as the acceptable test.”

Wittenberg resident Shannon Seegmiller, who has three children in the school district, said that she is unsure of having a third party testing the students.

“The whole concept of having a third party to come into the schools to test for COVID seems a little creepy to me,” said Seegmiller. “I having a hard time grasping it. There is testing anywhere and everywhere through your medical provider. I am a little struck as to why the school would be in a position to offer that.”

Wendel responded to this concern by explaining that all of the testing will be outside of the school and nobody will be coming in.

Seegmiller also asked why there is not rapid testing for other diseases, like strep throat or pink eye.

“It just seems like we are getting into a position of health care that I don’t really think that our district needs to be in,” said Seegmiller.

Wendel commented saying that strep testing has been talked about in the past.

After a question arose about what the school will be doing with the COVID testing results, Wendel said that she preferred that the school would not be involved in immediately receiving results of the testing.

The testing sites will be state funded.

School board member Dan Stewart clarified that students, staff and families don’t have to get tested at the schools, if they would rather get tested at another place.

Board president Chuck Wendler asked what the protocols would be for transportation on buses.

“There is a federal order for masking on all public transportation,” said Wendel.

Rogowski added that most school districts will not enforce that.

“Our recommendation is that we do not enforce that too.” said Rogowski.

The board unanimously voted to approve the recommendation that Rogowski had laid out.