10 students in COVID quarantine, but no instruction time lost at Ash Grove Schools

Since the school year began,
there have been eight Ash
Grove School District students
who have tested positive for COVID-
19, and 10 are currently in
quarantine after possibly being
exposed to the virus. However,
none of them are missing class.
“All of our students are able
to do remote virtual instruction
when they are on quarantine,”
said Dr. Aaron Gerla, superintendent
of schools.
None of the students in
quarantine, said Gerla, have
demonstrated any symptoms of
the virus. According to guidelines
from the Greene County
Health Department, any person
who has been in close contact
with a person who tests positive
for the virus is supposed
to self-quarantine for 14 days,
and can be released from quarantine
if no symptoms occur.
Gerla said there is no way
to calculate an average of how
many students have gone into
quarantine for possible exposure
to the virus for each one
who has tested positive.
“Every case is different,” he
said. “There are no normal case
specifics.”
The bulk of Ash Grove students,
about 92-percent, continue
to receive seated instruction
at the district, something Gerla said would continue at least through Christmas.
“We will stay with this format until at least the end of this semester,” he said.
Gerla credited the district’s re-entry plan for the 2020-21 school year with keeping the number of positive COVID-19 cases low.
“We have received numerous compliments from the various health departments about how we have handled COVID-19 situation helping to limit the spread of the virus within the school district,” he said.