The Francis Howell School District Board of Education  ruled to change the previous quarantine rules (if you were in contact with someone who was positive, or sat next to them you would be quarantined). Now, the new rule states you are able to continue to go to school if you were wearing a mask, but would be quarantined everywhere else.

*Correction: The Board did not change the policy, it was an AGREEMENT between Ehlmann (County Executive), the St. Charles County Department of Public Health, and collaboration with school superintendents of St. Charles County. The district, however, did adapt it. But the issue remains the same, WHY did they adopt this?

People who sat next to positive cases would be quarantined from work and going out with friends, but would not be quarantined from schools. We are at school for the majority of our day. This is risking the lives of students, when we know it affects teenagers, too. 

This means for us students, we could be sitting next to positive, asymptomatic people who should have been quarantined. This ruling was not made in favor of the students, but instead politicalized to make the district look good to the public. 

We should not be changing Covid rules when cases are rising. As seen in Canada, cases skyrocketed after their Thanksgiving. Just when kids are going to start getting symptoms from an inevitable holiday (and super spreader), this rule will be put in place. This is the exact time we will need quarantines to happen regularly.

While masks work, students do not wear them properly, and are asked not often to wear them above their nose. The district has denied this claim, but we students have seen it ourselves. If someone is not wearing the mask correctly and is positive, no one will know and people around them would not be quarantined. 

We have seen the studies, masks only work to an extent. They do not work if not worn properly. Sign the petition so the district looks at the student's best interest rather than what they think is best for us.