Warren County School District is stepping down its COVID plans.

On Monday, the school board approved a modified health and safety plan.

In it, students who are COVID-positive, who are symptomatic, and those who are identified as close contacts and will not wear masks for the next five days will be denied entry.

There was a motion to move the needle even farther.

Board member Arthur Stewart asked that recommended motion be changed to deny entry to only those students who must be denied entry by law.

“Right now, we’re going above and beyond the law,” Stewart said. “I think it’s time that we let our students come to school where we have a choice to do so. I think we should respect that law. I think we should stop at the end of the law.”

Pennsylvania law currently requires that students who are symptomatic or positive be denied entry, according to Solicitor Chris Byham.

Asked to clarify the difference between the proposal and the proposed amendment, Superintendent Amy Stewart said, “The way this is written, we would continue with contact tracing.”

“Some of our students have been denied entry multiple times just this academic year,” Arthur Stewart said. “I want to stop that from happening.”

Other board members pointed out that the superintendent had reported there were only nine students denied entry at the latest count.

“That sword cuts both ways… if it’s down to nine students, doesn’t that tell us it’s time to quit the burden that goes along with denying entry?” he said.

Instead of denying entry to students due to close contacts, students and staff in those classrooms could be notified that there had been a report of a close contact and they would be “free to employ… protective measures” including masks and vaccination. “It could do away with contact tracing in its entirety.”

He said aligning the policy with the law would allow the board to “remove ourselves from being the target of a lawsuit.”

Earlier this school year, the district was successfully sued when the board approved a policy that fell short of state mandates for masks.

“We didn’t get here in five minutes and we’re not going to get out of here in five minutes,” Amy Stewart said. “We have folks who are over it and folks who are very concerned about it.”

She said she hoped circumstances would continue to improve and the administration would feel comfortable bringing a proposal that would eliminate denials for contact tracing at the next meeting.

“Not everyone is going to be comfortable pulling the rug out all at once,” she said. “We’ve taken this in slow steps. What I’m proposing is a pretty big step. Look at contact tracing next month.”

Calendar adjustments

The board formally modified the district calendar on Monday.

“We have two issues,” Amy Stewart said. “We had a snow day on a professional day as well as we have now had two snow days.”

So far, weather has caused the cancellation of two student days (Feb. 3 and 4) and one day that was to be a professional day for teachers (Jan. 16).

Students will make up their days on Friday, Feb. 18, and Friday, May 27.

The professional development day will be moved to March 14. While teachers will be working on that day, there will be no school for students. “The revision for the snow day for the teachers does not impact the students,” Stewart said.

The board also approved the 2022-2023 school year calendar. The first school day for students will be Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022. Commencement and the last day for students will be held on Friday, June 9, 2023.