C.O. school districts urge allowing ‘test-to-stay’ option to keep more students in class, out of quarantine

'The vast majority in quarantine never end up having symptoms or test positive for COVID-19.'

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Under current public health guidelines, Central Oregon school districts say, students who have not tested positive for COVID-19 or show any symptoms still must quarantine, if they are found to have been exposed to others who have the virus.

Crook County School District Communications Director Jason Carr said the current quarantine requirement is a blanket approach and proposes another: the "test-to-stay" option.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, test-to-stay (sometimes referred to as "modified quarantine") is an approach that uses regular testing and contact tracing to allow students who have been exposed to COVID-19 in a school setting to remain in the classroom, while maintaining other layered prevention strategies, such as universal masking, to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“We just recognize that when you look at the difference in the number of actual positives that we have in the district amongst students and staff, vs. the amount the we’re putting into quarantine for 7-10 days, that's just -- that number doesn’t really jive,” Carr said.

Jefferson County School District Communication Coordinator Joey Prechtl said they also support the alternative and that students learn better with in-person education.

“I can say that the Jefferson County School District would welcome a ‘test-to-stay’ option in our district," Prechtl said.

Carr said the vast majority in quarantine never end up having symptoms or test positive for COVID-19.

ODE Ready Schools Resiliency Manager Kati Moseley told NewsChannel 21, “The Oregon Department of Education has no quarantine requirements. Local Public Health Agencies (LPHAs) determine quarantine and schools are responsible for excluding students and staff whom administrators reasonably believe to have been exposed to a communicable disease.”

Across the Crook County School District, there are 12 confirmed cases of students that have COVID-19, and five confirmed staff cases. The bigger issue, however, comes from the fact that there is a total of 185 students and 10 staff members in quarantine. He added that much of the exposure happens outside the schools.

The Redmond School District now have about 75 students in quarantine, and says they support students learning in the schools.

The Jefferson County School District has 32 quarantines, three of whom are staff members.

Both Prechtl and Carr say the quarantines also worsen a shortage of substitute teachers. Prechtl noted that a number of principals have had to step into that role.

Carr said the way things are, with expanded quarantines, affects parents, too.

“When it comes to child care, parents trying to work, you know -- all those other concerns that are out there as well," Carr said.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, Oregon does not yet have a test-to-stay program or protocol, but is exploring the feasibility of that option in the future. As of now, they the OHA said, the state does not have the testing capacity to add the program.