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^Reporter
Schools make few changes to
COVID guidelines for new year
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Monroe County Schools
updated its COVID pro
tocols at a called meeting
on Jan. 6, the day students
returned to classes after the
Christmas break. The guide
lines are little changed from
those distributed on Oct.
21. It is still recommended
that staff and students wear
masks in school settings, get
vaccinated and social dis
tance. There will be contact
tracing to inform parents if
students have been exposed
so they may quarantine, and
visitors and volunteers will
be allowed in schools with
masking recommended.
Guidelines for students
and staff who test positive
for COVID or who choose
to quarantine because of
exposure were included with
the protocols approved for
the current school session.
Superintendent Dr. Mike
Hickman said the main
change is that days of isola
tion after a positive test have
been reduced from 10 to five
days and Rapid/At Home
tests are now accepted per
CDC guidelines. Students/
staff may choose to isolate
or quarantine for a full 10
days. They shouldn’t return
to school while they have a
fever. Quarantines wont be
mandatory unless the per
son lives in the same house
hold with someone testing
positive and is unvaccinated
or 90 days past receiving a
final dose.
Board member Greg
Head noted that guidelines
for contract tracing in the
school setting have changed
from exposure for 15 min
utes within 6 feet to within
3 feet. Board member Dr.
Jeremy Goodwin agreed,
and after the change in
recommendation was con
firmed on-line, it was added
to Monroe County Schools
updated protocol.
Hickman said the school
system will work with Mon
roe County Health Depart
ment to make vaccines avail
able for staff and students 5
years and older with parents’
permission.
Hickman said he has
updated Monroe County
School System’s spread sheet
report on positive tests for
staff and students, beginning
a new running count with
the start of2022. As of Jan. 6,
there were six student cases,
two at Mary Persons, two
at Monroe County Middle
School and one each at T.G.
Scott Elementary and K.B.
Sutton Elementary. As of
Jan. 6 there were 20 staff
cases, three at Mary Persons,
two at Monroe County
Middle School, one at Hub
bard Elementary, two at T.G.
Scott Elementary, two at
K.B. Sutton Elementary, one
at Monroe County Achieve
ment Center, six in the
Transportation department
and three at Central Office.
“Our big hit is at Transpor
tation,” said Hickman. “We
were at nothing at Christ
mas. We’re working hard to
cover for the bus drivers.”
Hickman said that many
of the bus drivers are older
than the average school
system employee and more
at risk. The school system
wants to protect them as
much as possible.
Goodwin, who has a
medical practice in Forsyth,
said the current predomi
nant variety of COVID is
more contagious, spreading
quickly in closed settings,
but is generally milder. He
said the quicker turnaround
in people getting well should
help the school system.
He said Monroe County
Hospital went from no CO
VID cases to six overnight,
primarily unvaccinated
individuals.
In other business, after
an 18-minute closed door
session, board members
unanimously voted to accept
the resignation of Mary
Persons band director Miles
Benson, who was charged
on Dec. 30 with sexual as
sault against a person under
his care, electronic pornog
raphy and child exploitation.
The resignation was effective
Jan. 6.
County unveils new development proposal
District 4 County Commissioner
George Emami is inviting Monroe
County citizens and other interested
industry representatives to a pair of
Open House forums on Wednesday,
Jan. 12 to discuss the county’s newly
proposed zoning ordinance updates.
The meetings will be held from 10
a.m. to Noon on Jan. 12 and from 6
p.m. to 8 p.m. on Jan. 12. Both meet
ings will be held in Commissioners’
main meeting room on the third
floor of the county administration
building. Citizens do not have attend
both meetings nor do they have to
stay for the full two-hour time period
of either meeting.
If three or more Commissioners
decide to attend the Open Houses,
they will advertised as official county
meetings.
Emami is seeking feedback from
interested citizens and stakeholders
on revisions to the county’s zoning
ordinance, which will be discussed in
greater detail at Wednesday’s Open
Houses.
These will be the first two in a series
of opportunities, including official
required public hearings, for citizens
to express their opinions prior to
adoption of the zoning ordinance
updates.
The Monroe County Board of
Commissioners will hold its second
regular meeting of the month at 9
a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 13.
Commission meetings are typically
held on the first and third Tuesdays of
each month, but this one will be held
five days earlier than usual due to
scheduling conflicts.
Affordable Health Screenings
Coming to Forsyth, Georgia
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Forsyth, Georgia can learn about their risk for cardiovas
cular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and other chronic,
serious conditions with affordable screenings by Life Line
Screening. Christ United Methodist Church will host this
community event on 1/20/2022. The site is located at
41 7 North Frontage Rd. in Forsyth.
Screenings can check for:
• The level of plaque buildup in your arteries, related to
risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke and overall
vascular health.
• HDL and LDL Cholesterol levels
• Diabetes risk
• Bone density as a risk for possible osteoporosis
• Kidney and thyroid function, and more
Screenings are affordable and convenient. Free parking
is also available.
Special package pricing starts at $1 49, but consultants
will work with you to create a package that is right for
you based on your age and risk factors. Call
1 -877-237-1 287 or visit our website at www.lifeline-
screening.com. Pre-registration is required.
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