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Relaxed COVID policies for new school year

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Schools will maintain relaxed COVID policies for new school year

Mississippi education leaders are largely planning to continue using their COVID policies from last school year, but some have dropped protections altogether.ย 

Schools have been required to offer in-person learning as their primary method of instruction since the start of last school year. Local school boards are to develop their own specific policies regarding virtual options, but are required to ensure that students receive direct instruction from a teacher for the same number of minutes each day that they would in-person. Any other decisions regarding masking, quarantining, sanitation, and vaccination have been made by districts at the local level for the last year.ย 

The new school year begins as, COVID-19 cases are rising in Mississippi, with 1,705 positive cases on July 27 compared to 105 at the beginning of May. While high, they have not yet climbed to the levels seen during the delta and omicron waves. The Mississippi Department of recently announced that families can receive eight rapid tests each month through their county health department.

Policies vary from district to district, but most appear to be relaxing or maintaining relaxed COVID safety protocols for the upcoming school year, which begins for most districts in early August.

Greg Ellis, spokesperson for the Tupelo School District, said the district is generally continuing to follow its 2021-2022 plan but has added cameras in classrooms so that students who are quarantining due to positivity or exposure can continue to participate remotely in instruction. The district’s quarantine policies say they follow CDC and MSDH guidance.ย 

The Greenville School District is also maintaining its 2021-2022 policies, but it requires all students, staff, and visitors to wear masks, as well as temperature checks and socially distanced seating.ย 

By contrast, the Jackson Public School District has dropped its mask mandate and vaccine mandate for employees but will continue contact tracing and sanitation efforts.

โ€œCOVID-19 seems to be another sickness we’re just going to have to deal with for the rest of our lives,โ€ said Gulfport Superintendent Glen East. He elaborated that the district will require a doctor’s note to return to school.ย 

The DeSoto County School District is also mostly returning to pre-pandemic norms, regarding campus and school lunch prices. Their plan instructs to contact the school nurse for instructions regarding the length of quarantine, and the district clarified that absences due to COVID are still excused.

The Lauderdale County and Vicksburg-Warren School Districts have not made any substantial changes to their plans, which do not require masking and say students should quarantine if they are exhibiting symptoms.ย 

State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said MSDH will no longer be requiring weekly from schools of positive cases or quarantined students as they โ€œtransition to more routine, sustainable surveillance.โ€ Generally, the MSDH recommends that masks should be worn when community transmission is high, encourages parents to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, and can provide testing and vaccination to districts.ย 

Dr. Anita Henderson, president of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that vaccinations are going to be the most effective way of slowing down transmission and encouraged parents to get their vaccinated, as well as staff to get boosted if they are eligible. Children ages 6 months and older are also now eligible for vaccines, which can be scheduled through MSDH.

She also encouraged families to pick up at-home tests and double-check before attending group events, visiting immunocompromised family, or if they are showing any cold symptoms.ย 

โ€œWe are very concerned, just like when school started back last year and we saw that huge surge of delta in the fall,โ€ Henderson said. โ€œWe’re already in the middle of a big omicron surge now, and we’re concerned that it’s going to also happen in schools. We already know that school teachers are out in our area, we know children who have tested positive have missed their first week of school โ€ฆ These are things that are going to continue to happen unless we do everything we can to slow down transmission in schools.โ€ย 

Mississippi Today intern Allison Santa-Cruz contributed to this reporting.ย 

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi News

Mississippi sees 5th largest increase in fatal crashes: study

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www.wjtv.com – Garret Grove – 2024-11-02 12:25:00

SUMMARY: A recent study highlights a troubling rise in road fatalities in Mississippi, with a nearly 31% increase in fatal accidents from 2012 to 2021, ranking it fifth highest in the country. The reported a spike during the 2024 Labor Day , responding to seven fatal crashes resulting in 15 deaths, to only three crashes and six deaths in 2021. Additionally, a 2023 showed Mississippi had the highest per capita fatal crashes during the Christmas period. Young drivers are particularly affected, as Mississippi ranks fifth for teenage driving fatalities nationwide.

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Mississippi News

Vicksburg man charged with assaulting woman in domestic dispute

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www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2024-11-02 11:33:00

SUMMARY: In Vicksburg, Mississippi, a domestic assault led to the hospitalization of a man and woman on November 2. were alerted by Merit Region after a 28-year-old man, Daron Evans, arrived with a stab wound. Authorities dispatched to the scene found the woman, who had also been assaulted. After receiving treatment, Evans was and charged with aggravated assault domestic violence; he is held without bond until his court appearance. The woman is in stable at the . An investigation is ongoing.

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Mississippi News

Cloudy and humid weekend – Home – WCBI TV

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www.wcbi.com – Sadie Morris – 2024-11-02 10:13:00

SUMMARY: In Columbus, Mississippi, humid and cloudy weather is expected, with temperatures remaining above average in the lower 80s for the upcoming . Rain is forecasted for Election Day on Tuesday, continuing into the week with isolated showers likely. This Saturday will see patchy fog in the morning, clearing by midday, with a high around 80 degrees. Sunday will bring similar humidity, with a high in the lower 80s and mild overnight lows in the mid-60s. Throughout the week, expect persistent clouds and humidity alongside mild temperatures.

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