COVID-19 cases jump within MCSD

     Two weeks after Spring Break and the Monticello Community School District is seeing an uptick in absentees related to COVID-19.

     As of Thursday, April 1, the district reported six students and zero staff in isolation (those who have tested positive for COVID-19 or showing symptoms). There were also 25 students and two staff in quarantine (those who were exposed to someone with COVID-19, though not necessarily at school). This is approximately 3 percent of the student body and less than 1 percent of the total staff out for COVID-related reasons.

     “We took a small step back this week with a class exposure to COVID,” reported Superintendent Brian Jaeger. “This is our first in a few months. Let’s hope this was a one-time event rather than the start of a new pattern.”

     He also urged MCSD families to think about exposures to the virus over Easter weekend.

     “We are eight weeks away from the end of the school year,” added Jaeger. “Our goal is to get to the end of the year and avoid disruptions to student learning.”

     As the 2020-21 school year winds down, the district is starting to collect data from the students over the next month concerning if students are at their current grade level in reading and math.

     “This will help us plan for summer interventions to bring students back up to speed,” he offered. “So it is important that we keep our students in school to get an accurate picture of their performance.”

     The MCSD closed down prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. Jaeger said since the students have been in school each week with that one exception, “many students have been able to get back on track.

     “We are not seeing a huge number of students falling behind, even after not being in the building from March 2020 through August 2020,” continued Jaeger. “Our teachers have worked so hard to make that happen this school year.”

     As of late last week, Monticello showed a 14-day positivity rate of 6.2 percent; 5.2 for Jones County.

     There are still about 9 percent of the student population, PreK-12 taking part in either hybrid or full-online learning. That’s roughly 88 students.