Mason City Schools unveil covid plan

Goal will be to keep students safe and schools open

Ahead.

Tonight: mostly clear lows: upper 60s winds: sw 5?

"*0 mph thursday: mostly sunny highs: upper 80s winds: sw 5?

*- 10 mph thursday night: partly cloudy, scattered showers & storms (some strong to severe) lows: upper 60s winds: sw 5?

"*0 mph as the school year kicks off ?*- everyone's hoping students won't get covid?

"*19... but wht if they do.

Today a local district is outlining how it would respond.

Kimt news 3's nick kruszalnicki is live in mason city with the details.

Nick?

George ?

"* it's a big question on parent's minds.

What would happen if a student tests positive for coronavirus?

This afternoon, mason city community school district outlined what the procedures would be if a kid comes down with covid?

"*19.

Xxx "they're just marching right through this.

There's lots of smiles and laughs and they're so happy to be back in school and we're also happy to have them back in school."

Clearly, though, a student could come down with covid?

"*19.

Micki fredricks is the nurse at mason city high school and says the protocol for positive cases is clear.

"we have a completely separate area for students who could possibly have covid symptoms. so we're doing a really good job separating those out so kids that don't have symptoms don't come in contact with kids that do have symptoms."

The school will then ask the parents to pick up their child.

Karen crimmings with c?

"*g public health says parents should expect a call from public health shortly thereafter.

"our agency, public health, will be in contact with the case.

As i mentioned, if it's a student it will be the parents.

To go over questions and talk about isolation and quarantine guidance and then helping us identify those close contacts."

Crimmings, though, is optimistic that a positive test doesn't have to close everything down.

"are we going to quarantine an entire classroom?

The answer is no.

We know that it's important that students remain in school as right now the district is on a hybrid model for learning.

But if the positive transmission rate is 15 to 20 percent with a district absentee rate of 10 percent, the school can ask the state to go to completely online learning.

Live in mason city, nick kruszalnicki, kimt news 3.

Thanks nick.

As of today no students in the mason city community school district have tested positive for covid?