Blue Valley families,

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released updated guidance around the wearing of masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems.

“Effective February 25, 2022, CDC is exercising its enforcement discretion to not require that people wear masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early care and education/child care programs. CDC is making this change to align with updated guidance that no longer recommends universal indoor mask wearing in K-12 schools and early education settings in areas with a low or medium COVID-19 Community Level.”

This means that beginning Monday, Feb. 28, staff and students will no longer be required to wear a mask on school buses or vans. You can read more about the CDC’s updated guidelines online.

 

Blue Valley Schools

Blue Valley Families,

 

At the Blue Valley Board of Education meeting tonight, the Board passed the following motion:

 

“The Board of Education rescinds its current Board policy regarding face masks, thereby allowing face masks to be optional in all Blue Valley facilities, effective immediately, unless any single building exceeds 10% illness absenteeism rate at which time students, staff and visitors in that building would be required to wear a face mask for two full weeks. At the end of those two weeks, illness absenteeism data will be reassessed.”

 

This means that masking will be optional for students, staff and visitors in all buildings beginning Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. 

 

It is important to note the district remains committed to:

• COVID Dashboard
• Federal regulations requiring masking for all students on school buses and in district vehicles

• Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) COVID-19 Mitigation Information and COVID-19 Return to Participation Guidelines
• Encouraging students and staff to stay home if they are sick

 

We appreciate your support as we transition to optional masking on Feb. 15. A brief summary of the board meeting, as well as a link to the recorded meeting, is available on the website at www.bluevalleyk12.org/boe. 

 

Blue Valley Schools

Blue Valley Families,

 

Monday night, the Blue Valley Board of Education made a modification to the existing masking policy due to the increase in community spread of COVID-19. Beginning Wednesday, Jan. 12, Blue Valley will look at two metrics when determining masking requirements for students and staff in grades 9-12 and the 18-21 Program. 

 

Masking will be required for at least two weeks when:

• Total percentage of students positive or identified for quarantine by the JCDHE exceeds 3% 

OR

• Student absenteeism for illness exceeds 7% in any individual school building 

 

The board also added to the updated policy that masks are optional in all high school buildings and the 18-21 program outside of the regular school day.

 

With this announcement, the following mitigation measures remain unchanged.

• The Johnson County Board of Health Order No. 001-21 requiring masks inside school buildings for all early childhood and K-8 students, staff and visitors. 
• Federal regulations requiring masking for all students, including high school students and staff, on school buses and in district vehicles. 
• Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) COVID-19 Mitigation Information and COVID-19 Return to Participation Guidelines. At this time, there are no masking requirements.
• Continued mitigation efforts within our schools. Staff who travel to or visit schools at multiple levels in the district are asked to follow masking guidelines for the specific school they are attending or visiting.

 

COVID DASHBOARD UPDATE

Additionally, in an effort to keep our school communities informed, the district will provide daily dashboard updates during the school week including:

• Number of students who are positive by school.  This includes students who:
• Tested positive (PCR/Antigen) for COVID-19
• Symptomatic with known close contact
• Quarantined by JCDHE
• Total illness rate of students by school as reported via attendance data

Dashboard updates will be posted by noon on the following day. View the Second Semester COVID-19 Dashboard on the district’s website.

 

Thank you for your continued partnership to keep students and staff healthy by having your child stay home if they are sick (i.e. fever, chills, cough, etc.). 

 

A brief summary of the board meeting as well as a link to the recorded meeting is available on the website

 

Blue Valley Schools

 

***The district reviews and posts COVID and absence data daily. If masking is required at any high school, a review to determine the status of masking will be made at the end of the two-week period. 

Blue Valley families,

 

Blue Valley Schools is ready to welcome students back to classrooms on Wednesday, Jan. 5. As we enter this new year, we know that COVID-19 continues to be a reality in our community. The following is updated COVID-19 information the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) provided school districts following new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We received the guidance late this afternoon.

 

• Positive Cases: Individuals with COVID-19 should isolate for 5 days from the date of the positive test result or beginning of symptoms. Students/staff who are symptom-free may return to school wearing a mask for days 6-10. 
• JCDHE Contact Tracing: Recognizing that intensive contact tracing within schools is no longer feasible given high levels of community spread, JCDHE is focusing efforts on infected individuals. This means Blue Valley will no longer be providing JCDHE close contact information and JCDHE will no longer notify staff/students if they are a close contact from a school exposure. 

 

We know families want to know about mitigation efforts and available resources. On the district’s COVID-19 web page, families can find information about masking, testing and more.

 

• Personal Health Assessments: Students and staff are encouraged to remain diligent in conducting a personal health assessment each day. Individuals that suspect they are ill (i.e. fever, chills, cough, etc.) and are not feeling well should stay home.
• Masks: All early childhood and K-8 students, staff and visitors continue to follow the Public Health Order issued by the Board of Commissioners of Johnson County requiring masks inside school buildings. Masks are optional for grades 9 and above, including staff and visitors. If the total percentage of positive cases and exclusions at a high school building rises above 3 percent, masking requirements will return for a minimum of 2 weeks. JCDHE recommends well-fitted, filtering masks such as a KN95.
• COVID-19 Testing: MAWD Labs is offering a local COVID-19 testing option for students, staff and their family members. Test results are typically available within 12-16 hours. More information about MAWD COVID-19 Drive-In Testing is available on the district website.
• Test to Stay: In the event individuals are identified and contacted directly by JCDHE for quarantine, students/staff have the option to “Test to Stay and Learn” and remain at work/school. More information about Test to Stay is available on the district website.

 

While 2022 will present many unknowns, we still have much to look forward to. Thank you for your continued partnership to keep students and staff healthy to ensure our students are in school, in-person, as that is critical to their long-term success and well-being.

 

Blue Valley Schools

Blue Valley Families,

 

Two driving forces have influenced decisions this year—the safety of our staff and students and keeping our students in school full time. This commitment has, in part, helped Blue Valley take an important next step in this pandemic.

 

Due to the declining community spread of COVID-19, low level of spread among students and the increasing rate of vaccinations among high school-aged students and adults, the Blue Valley Board of Education passed a motion Monday night to make masks optional for grades 9 and above, including staff and visitors. This change will go into effect Monday, Nov. 29, 2021. 

 

With this announcement, the Board of Education remains committed to:

• The Johnson County Board of Health Order No. 001-21 that requires masks inside school buildings for all early childhood and K-8 students, staff and visitors. Should the mandate be rescinded, the same protocols would be used for all students.
• Federal regulations requiring masking for all students, including high school students and staff, on school buses and in district vehicles. 
• Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) COVID-19 Mitigation Information and COVID-19 Return to Participation Guidelines. At this time, there are no masking requirements.
• Continued mitigation efforts within our schools. Individuals are asked to follow masking guidelines for the specific school they are visiting.

 

The district will also monitor data, remain nimble and work to maintain the best learning environment possible. If the total percentage of positive cases and exclusions at a building rises above 3 percent, masking requirements will return for a minimum of 2 weeks.

 

We appreciate your support and will continue to do whatever it takes to provide a world-class education for our students. For additional information and FAQs, please visit the district website.

 

 Blue Valley Schools

Blue Valley Families, 

 

Blue Valley Schools is eager to welcome back our students and staff for the 2021-22 school year. We are thankful to be a part of such an incredible and caring community of families, staff and administrators. This coming year will surely bring its share of challenges, but as proven over the past 17 months, we are resilient and will get through this together.

As you likely know, the Blue Valley Board of Education passed a motion yesterday to extend the Johnson County Board of Health Order requiring masks for Blue Valley Schools to include grades 9-12 and the 18- to 21-year-old program, as well as all staff and visitors, to be reviewed at least quarterly at board meetings.

As we have shared frequently the past few weeks, there are two driving forces influencing our decisions as we enter a new school year amid a continuing pandemic: The safety of our staff and students is always paramount, and keeping our students in school – in person – is critical to their long-term success and well-being. 

Our staff care very much about each and every student and will do whatever it takes to provide a world-class education for our students. 

This coming school year will be no different.

We will continue to follow guidance from health experts in order to provide a safe learning environment for our staff and our students and their families. We will also remain nimble, continue to listen and maintain the best learning environment possible given the current situation.

While we know there will likely be challenges ahead, we are hopeful that with these mitigation factors in place there will be brighter days and a sense of normalcy once again. We hope you will all support the teachers and administrators of the district as we start the school year with a goal of providing the best possible learning experience for your children. 

 

Blue Valley Schools

Blue Valley families,

 

We hope you and your families have enjoyed the summer, and we look forward to welcoming your students back to school soon! We have important information to share regarding the upcoming school year as it relates to the Public Health Order issued by the Board of Commissioners of Johnson County on August 5.

 

There are two driving forces influencing our decisions as we enter a new school year amid a continuing pandemic: The safety of our students is always paramount, and keeping our students in school – in person – is critical to their long-term success and well-being. With this in mind, the Blue Valley School District will follow the county’s health order and require masks inside school buildings for all early childhood and K-8 students, staff and visitors beginning August 9, 2021. Masks inside our high school buildings are highly recommended for all high school students, staff and visitors. In addition, per a federal mandate, all individuals must wear a mask when utilizing district-provided transportation (including buses and vans).

 

As you know, this is an ever-evolving and fluid situation. It is our sincere hope that the recent surge of COVID-19 infections will wane as more of the population has the opportunity to be vaccinated.

 

We hope you understand this decision was not made lightly. The feedback we have received from all sides has been significant and we know it is deeply emotional for many of you. We are talking about the safety and health of our children, and right now the most prudent step is to follow the county’s health order.   

 

We hope you will all support the teachers and administrators of the district as we start the school year with a goal of providing the best possible learning experience for your children. We know this has been a challenging 17 months. We will get through this, together. We look forward to safely welcoming your children back to school in the coming days.

 

For more information on COVID protocols for the start of the 2021-22 school year, visit the district’s website at www.bluevalleyk12.org.

 

Blue Valley Schools