Griggs County Central School District ended the use of the 2020-21 Health and Safety Plan on the last day of school in May 2021. Updated health and safety guidelines were approved for the the 2021-22 school year. The Health and Safety Guidance will work in cooperation with the district contagious disease policy and the district crisis plan.
All district health/safety and COVID information from the spring of 2020 to the start of this school year can be found on the Griggs County Central website under the district menu in the Health and Safety section.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Health and Safety guidance for 2021-22:
Q: Does my child have to wear a mask/face covering?
A: No, it is not required. It is up to the parents/guardians to determine if their child has a physical or emotional need to wear a mask/face covering while at school.
Q: Are COVID vaccines required for students? If not, will my child be excluded from anything if they do not get the COVID vaccine?
A: GCC does not require students to get COVID vaccines and the district does not discriminate against students based on their medical decisions. Students will not be separated in classrooms or during activities based on medical decisions. GCC does not advocate for or against COVID vaccines for kids because we are not a medical entity. We encourage families to seek medical professionals when making decisions on the COVID vaccine.
Q: If my child is not feeling well, should we take him or her to get a COVID test? Does the school do COVID testing or screening?
A: GCC does not provide COVID testing or screening. The local clinic in Cooperstown (Cooperstown Medical Center) provides medical screening and testing when parents/guardians feel it is necessary.
As far as when to come to school or not, we ask that families use the daily health screener to help guide their day-to-day decisions on coming to school. Again, GCC is not a medical professional so please seek medical advice to make a well-informed decision for your family.
Q: My student might have been around someone that is confirmed to have COVID, what should we do now? Can my child come to school?
A: GCC does not determine close contacts or contact trace. The school district might send home "exposure notifications" for COVID or any other health or safety situation throughout the school year but we ask families to make a decision that is best for them.
If the school is called and asked, we will refer families to our health screener. GCC is tasked with providing an education to all students in our district and that will be our focus.
Q: If my student is home for an extended period of time for any reason, what will that look like for him or her?
A: GCC will continue to provide education to all students whether they are absent for COVID or any other health or safety reason. The delivery of that education will look different depending on the grade level but it could include bringing home a Google Chromebook or an iPad for work accessed on Google Classrooms, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom. It could also including picking up textbooks, worksheets, and other supplemental resources at the office and working on those from home. We will work with each family on a case-by-case basis to provide the best education possible given the circumstances.
GCC will also provide an option for breakfast and/or lunch to be picked at the school up by families for students that are on extended absences for health or safety reasons.
Q: Who can we reach out to for more guidance on medical decisions for our family?
A: The Cooperstown Medical Center is located in Cooperstown and they provide a wide-variety of medical support to the community. Along with that, the Griggs-Nelson District Health Unit is a source of medical advice for the counties of Griggs and Nelson in North Dakota.
