1. All employees, contractors, visitors, guests, and students in grades P through 12 must wear a face covering while in school buildings and on school buses whenever social distancing of 6’ cannot be maintained.  
    
2. All employees, contractors, visitors, guests, and students in grades P through 12 must wear a face covering in school buildings when traveling throughout the common areas of the building, regardless of social distancing.  
    
3. Masks may be removed or lowered during classroom time if all students and staff are seated 6’ apart and no person is walking around in the classroom. 
    
4. Masks may be removed or lowered during lunch period. 
    
5. Students, staff, visitors, and guests having a documented pre-existing medical condition or disability that prevents them from wearing a face covering may request an exemption from the policy. 
    
6. Acceptable face coverings must have multiple layers, cover the nose and below the chin, and fit snugly. Face coverings may include cloth masks, surgical masks, respirator masks, bandanas, gaiters, and any similar item meeting the requirements above. Face coverings must meet the same dress code standards as other items of apparel bearing messages (e.g. no lewd or obscene messages, no advertisements for drugs, alcohol or weapons, no messages that are threatening or likely to cause a disruption to the educational process, etc. Please refer to your school dress code.)  
    
7. This policy will remain in effect until the further action of the Board, which will review the conditions of the COVID pandemic at least once every three (3) weeks. If, in consultation with its advisors, the Board determines that conditions so warrant, the Board will terminate this policy. 
    
8. The Board’s obligation to review COVID pandemic conditions for purposes of this temporary policy will be suspended during any period in which the school district is subject to a state or federal mask mandate.

Mask policy update - August 9, 2021

• Masks are required for all persons while indoors and on school buses.

  • A driver does not need to wear a mask if they are the only person on the bus. 

• We ask that you please notify the school as soon as possible if your child tests positive for COVID-19. The District will examine student absence policies to ensure that students are not penalized for COVID-19 related absences, including student illness and quarantine orders.

• A close contact is someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes while the person was considered contagious.  

  • Exception: In the K-12 indoor classroom setting, the close contact definition excludes students who were at least >3 feet away from an infected student if both students were engaged in consistent and correct use of masks and other K-12 prevention strategies were in place. This exception does not apply to teachers, staff, or other adults in the indoor classroom setting.

• Unvaccinated students, teachers, or staff who are identified as close contacts should be instructed to self-quarantine regardless of whether the exposure occurred within or outside of the school setting. Quarantine may be discontinued when the local public health department determines the individual is safe to be around others or:

  • Fully-vaccinated persons do not need to quarantine following an exposure to a person diagnosed with COVID-19 if he/she is not experiencing symptoms.

  • After day 10 without testing if the individual is symptom-free.

  • After day 7 if the individual is symptom-free and receives a negative COVID-19 test 5 days or later after the last date of exposure to the case.

• Efforts will be focused to ensure as much social distancing as possible when appropriate and feasible, including at lunch, seat time, and other stationary times throughout the day.

• OCS is fortunate to have heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems that have been designed by some of the leading professional engineering firms in the country and are built to exceed ASHRAE standards for energy efficiency and indoor air quality. 

• OCS implemented additional measures prior to returning to in-person instruction during the 20-21 school year to maximize indoor air quality even further through mechanical dilution and filtration processes. These practices will continue to be utilized for the foreseeable future. 

• Based on our student population there is not a significant need for virtual-only instruction. The OCS Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) was a necessity during the height of the pandemic, but it was not designed to be an on-going educational entity. There are options for students who are medically fragile. Please contact student services at our district office for more information.

• It is important to note that NTI for COVID-19 has not been approved by the State of Kentucky for this school year at this time.

• As we start the school year, we will not be allowing visitors for lunch. This will be reevaluated after the first semester. 

• Volunteers must be approved by the school principal or other school administrator prior to visit and must wear a mask.