Brittanye Blake | Valdosta Daily TimesNatasha Berry, one of Georgia Teacher of the Year Top 10 finalists, with Valdosta City Schools Superintendent Dr. Todd Cason and Valdosta City Schools Board Chair Stacy Bush. 

VALDOSTA – Valdosta Board of Education continued reviewing a modified quarantine plan during a work session and called meeting this week.

The board first reviewed the modified quarantine plan during the last board meeting.

Valdosta City Schools Superintendent Dr. Todd Cason presented the board with the Aug. 19 letter from Georgia Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen E. Toomey clarifying the administrative order sent to schools on Aug. 2.

Cason and Beth DeLoach, assistant superintendent for student support services, shared data and answered questions concerning the possible change in the school system’s quarantine plan.

They reviewed three exemptions to close contact approved by the Department of Public Health.

– Students or staff member will not have to quarantine if they are asymptomatic and fully vaccinated, at least 14 days from the vaccination series.

– Individuals who have had COVID-19 in the previous three months and are asymptomatic are not required to quarantine but should continue wearing a mask indoors.

– A pre-K-12 student who is asymptomatic and was three to six feet from a student with confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 in the classroom setting is not required to quarantine, only if, both students were consistently and correctly wearing well-fitted masks at the time of exposure.

“The monitoring will not change,” DeLoach said. “Even if a family chooses the third option that child will still be logged by nurses and we will monitor symptoms.

“It is another option for our parents. We are compassionate towards parents making a decisions but we think it is good for parents to know that their child who was already masked can stay in school if they are asymptomatic,” DeLoach added.

Board members stressed the importance of giving parents and students options.

Trey Sherwood, District 5, and Dr. Tad Moseley, District 6, agreed that modifying the quarantine plan would be a good idea with some opposition from Tara Howard, board vice chair.

“I want to ensure that our students and staff are safe,” Howard said. “It’s great we have options for the parents but it all needs to make sense. It’s time for us to step up and make sure everyone is safe under our care.”

Meanwhile, VCS announced virtual options for students and parents on Aug. 20.

As of Aug. 26, 1,430 or 17% of the student population elected virtual versus 50% last year.

“We all believe and know that face-to-face or in-person learning is best for our students,” Cason said. “It is believed this is one of the reasons why our numbers are lower this year for virtual learning than they were last year.”

Natasha Berry, Valdosta City Schools third-grade teacher at Sallas Mahone Elementary School, was recognized as the 14th teacher to be named Georgia Teacher of the Year 2021 Top 10 finalists.

“To see one of our own recognized brings this board a great deal of pleasure,” Stacy Bush, Board of Education chair, said.

There was no public participation and the board went into executive session Tuesday. The next Valdosta Board of Education regular meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., Sept. 14, at the central office, 1204 Williams St.