Dear Black River Community,

As we learned on Friday, the Ottawa County Health Department, along with several other nearby counties, is no longer requiring quarantine for students considered to be close contacts to COVID-19 cases at school.

An Ottawa County study found that of the quarantined students this year who were considered close contacts, only about 1.4% became positive cases because of exposure in school.  At Black River, this figure is actually significantly less than the countywide number of 1.4%.

Because of this, Black River will no longer require students to quarantine because of close contacts relating to school or school activities.  We will continue all of our in-school mitigation strategies as well as continue to notify families of any exposures to COVID-19 at school.  This notification will come to parents and guardians through the email addresses listed in their child's contact information on Infinite Campus.

While schools are able to do this with the support of our health department, it is very important for all to understand that households with positive cases must still quarantine as before.  Also, we rely on families to screen children for symptoms of COVID-19 before coming to school to reduce the risk of positive cases coming to our school.  

It takes all of us to make a safe school.  Thank you for your efforts to help stop the spread!

Shannon Brunink

Head of School