The Fayette school district will remain at Yellow Level until the winter break. The last day of classes is Tuesday, Dec. 23.

The district returned to in-person classes on Dec. 1 after transitioning to online learning on November 17 after a surge of positive COVID-19 cases placed more than 10% of staff on quarantine. A day later the school board gave unanimous approval to adopt a mandate that requires everyone at school to wear masks. Until then only faculty and staff were required to wear masks. 

The mandate came following new guidance announced by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson which changed the rules for quarantining. The new rules would allow for more students and teachers to remain in the classroom even in the event of a positive case as long as all involved were wearing masks and do not show symptoms.

In an email to parents on Friday, Dec. 4, school nurse Kelly Beeler and Superintendent Jill Wiseman announced that the school would remain at Yellow Level throughout the end of the semester. There were zero positive tests from either staff between Tuesday, Dec. 1, and Friday, Dec. 4.

The email also outlined additional procedural changes. Should a student or staff member test positive, the district will still notify any students or staff who were identified as close contacts. As long as both were properly wearing masks, those close contacts will not be required to quarantine at home.

“We are required to continue to notify the health department of all close contacts as students and staff identified as close contacts to a case at school should still quarantine outside of school to limit potential for further exposure,” the email stated.

Under these new procedures, close contacts are not authorized to participate in school-associated sports or extracurricular activities. 

New guidance announced Dec. 2 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will allow those who have come into contact with an infected person to quarantine for 10 days, or seven days if they test negative for the virus. This is down from 14 days.