Superintendent Weekly Press Release January 8, 2021

Superintendent Weekly Press Release January 8, 2021

Dear Cedar Bluffs Families,

COVID RISK LEVEL: ORANGE

For the Week of January 11th, the COVID risk dial stays in Orange at 3.00. Over the break the dial was in Orange with both Saunders and Washington county falling and Dodge county staying steady. However, this week both Dodge and Saunders county went up from 2.86 to 3.00 and Washington county remained the same at 3.00. With all 3 counties at 3.00, the health district is at 3.00 as well.

TOTAL POSITIVE: 25-Students, 41-Parent(s)/Family Members, 22-Staff

THIS WEEK POSITIVE: 8-Students, 6-Parent(s)/Family Members, 1-Staff CURRENT QUARANTINE: 27

Over the break we had one staff member test positive for COVID bringing our staff number to 22 total. This staff member is still in quarantine but will return next week. We also had 6 family members test positive resulting in 12 students required to quarantine. As for students, we had 8 test positive over the break with 1 returning this week and the other seven are still in quarantine. We also had 7 students quarantine from a close contact with either a positive family member or in one case a friend over the break and 1 that is awaiting results; brining our total quarantined students and staff to 27.

We did have a parent send their kids to school this week knowing that their children were positive. This is incredibly irresponsible and a violation of law putting everyone who was in contact with these kids including multiple teachers and employees who are considered “high risk” individuals in danger. It is a Class V Misdemeanor if you knowingly break quarantine and as mandatory reporters, school personnel are required to report any crimes that occur on campus.

Governor Ricketts has posted a new website with vaccine rollout data, that can be found here: https://experience.arcgis.com/...

Teachers and employees that work in schools are listed in the 1B phase which is supposed to start in late January or early February. However, in speaking with 3 Rivers Health last week I was told that they initially received 700 doses of the vaccine and immediately distributed those to hospitals and nursing homes in the area. Since that first week, on average they are receiving 100 doses or 10 vials per week. Furthermore, in a January 4th press release, Governor Ricketts rightful so decided to move all Nebraskans 75 years or older in front of the teachers and school employees. There are roughly 150,000 Nebraskans over the age of 75. I do not know how many reside in the 3 Rivers Health District but with distribution averaging just 10 vials a week in the 3 Rivers Health district I am not optimist that school employees in Cedar Bluffs will begin on time. Complicating the matter regarding distribution of the vaccine is that each Health District, and there are 23 Health Districts in Nebraska, are working independently to distribute in their area so each could be at different phases. For instances, I understand that in the Panhandle Health District, during their phase 1A distribution many of the EMT, Fire and Rescue personnel who are volunteers, choose not to get the vaccine meaning that health district had enough doses to move forward to 1B and from what I am hearing, at least some of the Scottsbluff Public School teachers have already gotten their vaccine shots while in Omaha there are many frontline health workers and nursing home employees who have still not gotten vaccinated. #WildcatPride