Wisconsin schools now have uniform instructions for when and how to shut down in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak as part of new guidelines from the state health department to help districts manage infections during the school year.
The document — which is not a mandate — builds on the limited guidance Wisconsin schools have received from the state since the threat of the coronavirus pandemic became elevated in the spring, leading public health officials in March to shut down all public and private K-12 schools.
Here’s what closures could look like in your child’s classroom, school or district:
School administrators could shut down a classroom or cohort if …
- Classrooms need to be cleaned and no additional rooms are available for students
- Contact tracing is being done, especially when multiple cases are being traced at once
- Other mitigation strategies were tried and were unsuccessful at stopping spread between classmates
- A teacher is absent and no substitute teacher is available
- More students in the class or cohort are absent than present
School administrators could shut down a school if …
- The number of staff absences are impeding instruction or the ability to provide lunch or other vital activities
- More student cohorts are absent than present
- Schoolwide disinfecting needs to be conducted
- Other mitigation strategies were unsuccessful at halting an outbreak
District administrators could shut down a school district if …
- The local, county, state or federal government recommends closure
- The number of staff absences in the district are impeding vital district functions
- Contact tracing is occurring for cases in multiple schools (for example, in response to an outbreak traced to a multi-school sporting event)
- Other mitigation strategies were unsuccessful at halting an outbreak