In an announcement made prior to his online forum, Miller wrote: “We have met with our local health commissioner, Erik Balster, from the Butler County General Health District, to gain clarification about what is expected from school districts. The BCGHD supports the ODH (Ohio Department of Health) statement and has agreed that schools are no longer required to contact trace,” students who may have been exposed to infected classmates.
Miller said the district’s number of positive cases are declining.
“While our numbers are still much higher than we would like to see, in our schools and the larger community, they are declining. We ask that our families continue to monitor their students for symptoms of COVID-19 and to please keep them home if they are sick. Furthermore, we strongly encourage all of our students and staff to wear masks and get vaccinated.”
“As we have all learned since March 2020, guidance and protocols related to COVID-19 continue to evolve and change. As this happens, we will continue to review and adjust as needed,” he said.
During his online chat, Miller added a cautionary note to those school families anticipating an approaching end to the pandemic, which is nearing its two-year anniversary.
“We are going to be dealing with this (COVID-19) for a long, long time,” he told viewers.
No decision has been made yet, he said, regarding whether Lakota will follow the lead of some other area districts and announcing no school for Feb. 14, the day after the Sunday playing the Super Bowl.
The locally, much-anticipated NFL championship game has area fans thrilled for the Cincinnati Bengals taking on the Los Angeles Rams.
Some school systems, anticipating the traditional Monday after, low attendance rates and staff absenteeism, have already scheduled that day off.
Lakota officials’ decision on whether to close classes today may be made for them as the storm front of ice, sleet and snow hit the region in the early morning hours Thursday.
Miller said district officials will be monitoring late Wednesday and early Thursday the storm and road conditions prior to making any closure announcement.
For more information on new COVID-19 rules and closures announcements see Lakota’s website.
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