Dear Parents, Staff and Community Members,
As I have previously stated we have been quarantining lots of students, teachers and staff. This is not because of positive COVID cases. In some cases, it is because of a positive case. At other times, it is due to exposure to a positive case or someone exhibiting COVID like symptoms.
Whenever this occurs, we discuss the matter with the Louisiana Office of Public Health and then, based on their expert recommendations, we quarantine staff, students, and teachers. Because of federal privacy laws, specifically HIPPA, you will only be informed when you or your student has been in contact with a positive case or when your child has to quarantine. We are NOT allowed to give ANY identifiable information about positive cases or quarantines.
This includes the name of a school where a quarantine occurs. The most we can provide is a total number of cases. We are putting all positive cases into the LDH database. Those total numbers are shared with the community and local media at our monthly board meetings. At the last board meeting held 2 weeks ago, we told the entire community that we have had 8 adults and 9 students test positive since the beginning of school. We will continue to be as transparent as possible.
We assure you that there are no outbreaks in our schools. Quarantines, even when it is a large number of people, does not mean there is an outbreak. It may not even mean that there is one positive case.
You have every right to know what is going on in your district. I promise you that we will continue to keep you apprised of the situation as we continue the 2020-2021 school year.
Together We Can!
Sincerely,
Grant Eloi, M.Ed. Superintendent Natchitoches Parish Schools
