GREENSBORO, N.C. — The StrongSchoolsNC Public Health COVID-19 ToolKit was updated Thursday with some changes to quarantine and isolation rules for students and staff.
According to the update, students and staff do NOT have to stay home from school if they have been exposed to COVID-19 unless they too test positive or show symptoms - something a lot of parents seem to be happy about, while others, not so much.
But if the student or staff member wants to stay home for five days, they are still allowed to do that.
That person must still let other students and staff know if they have been exposed.
Exposed people should wear a mask for at least 10 days from the exposure and get tested as soon as possible as well as five days after exposure.
"Keeping them out of school, we are just going to keep widening the educational gap which has already been tremendously widened during the lockdown, keeping kids out of school for almost a year - that’s pretty significant,” said a mother, Andrea Creighton.
Anyone with symptoms must isolate, according to state/CDC guidelines.
The ToolKit says schools should require masks for all grades/ages but this is not required for schools to do so.
In Guilford County, masks are still required for the time being, and for some parents, it’s time to take the mask off. Other parents support the mask mandate.
"I'm so grateful they were wearing masks because it has kept us from getting sick and kept him from getting sick," said one parent at the Guilford County School board meeting Tuesday night.
Being considered "up to date on COVID vaccines" now includes boosters.
These updates will go into effect on February 21.