Quarantine to be Optional for COVID Exposed Bossier Parish Students

Parents and guardians of Bossier Parish Students received an email Friday (10/22/21) about upcoming new protocols when it comes to students being exposed to COVID-19.

As of the beginning of the school year, if a student were to come in close contact with someone who had contracted COVID-19. According to the email, that will be changed starting October 25th. Guardians of students who have come in close contact to someone with COVID will have a choice on whether or not to quarantine them.

Last month KEEL spoke with the State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Cade Brumley about the then-newly implemented creation of a new parent choice option for systems around the state to include in their quarantine determination process.

"Individual school systems can elect how they determine to make quarantining decisions," Brumley says, "What I have continued to hear out of some systems and some leaders and certainly some parents is this idea of maybe we are quarantining too many children."

"I've heard from families who've had to quarantine their kids three, four or five times for multiple weeks."

Brumley stated that if a school system decides to implement his new option, mandatory quarantines for students previously defined as being in "close contact” will no longer be required.

Instead, the parent / guardian will be immediately notified of the exposure and given the option to quarantine their child or allow them to remain in school.

The original email sent to parents and guardians:

Quarantine will be optional for students/employees defined as a “close contact” during the school day or during a school function beginning Monday, October 25, 2021. These new guidelines only apply if the individual identified as a close contact is not symptomatic or a household close contact. Please go HERE for more information. Free screenings are available at local Walgreens stores or any of the Ochsner LSU Health sites.