Tri-Central adopts same COVID policy as Tipton

Oct. 20—SHARPSVILLE — Tipton County schools have near-uniform COVID policies, as Tri-Central adopted a new plan Monday evening.

The policy is the same one Tipton schools approved last week, which determines mitigation efforts based on positivity rate.

Parents and students have a quarantine option under the new COVID policy.

If a student is contact traced and does not have symptoms, they can either quarantine at home or in school.

The at-home quarantine is for 10 days, and the student can return and wear a mask for another four days. If not, the at-home stay is for 14 days. This is what Tri-Central has been doing.

There is also an "in school" quarantine option. A student can return to school immediately so long as they wear a mask for 10 days and have their temperature and symptoms checked daily.

"Basically, the way I've been explaining it to a lot of people, if a student is quarantined, they can buy their way back into school by wearing a mask and agreeing to be checked," Superintendent Dave Driggs told the School Board.

Those students who opt for the in-school option are still permitted to participate in extracurriculars.

A color code — green, yellow or red — will be determined weekly for Tri-Central Elementary, the middle-high school building and the entire school corporation. This will be based on student and staff positivity rate.

A green rating means a rate of 2% or less, yellow is between 3% and 5%, and red is 6% or more.

Tri-Central and Tipton will use county data to determine COVID decision-making. Both school districts have worked together for the past month in developing the new tiered policy, according to Driggs.

The weekly rating will be determined by school nurses and Rob Cochrane, director of data and analysis for Centric Consulting.

Cochrane lives in Tipton and has worked with Tipton schools this year to monitor positivity rates. Driggs said Cochrane is also in charge of COVID data for the state and Indiana State Department of Health, which hired Centric Consulting.

"We're lucky to have him on board helping us," Driggs said.

Each color-coded rating comes with its own set of mitigation strategies.

Under code green, masks are optional, and outside visitors are allowed if they do not have COVID symptoms. Masks remain optional under a code yellow, but cleaning protocols are more intense, and shields will be used in areas where social distancing isn't possible.

Masks are required if a school building or the entire district receives a red rating. Driggs said the mask requirement under a code red is just like the requirement from last year.

Cleaning protocols become even more strict and outside visitors are not allowed. A code red will be in effect for four weeks.

"According to Rob, 6% (code red) is a real key when we have a major problem with any kind of virus," Driggs said.

The difference between color codes is only a handful of cases.

Seven cases or less equates to a green rating at the elementary, but eight would result in a yellow rating.

For a district-wide code red, there would have to be 45 or more cases.

Driggs said Tri-Central would have maintained a green rating this entire school year, meaning the positivity rate has stayed at or below 2%.

The superintendent told the Tribune in September that cases have been "low and consistent," this school year.

The new policy goes into effect Oct. 25. This week is fall break.

Spencer Durham can be reached at 765-454-8598, by email at spencer.durham@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @Durham_KT.