October 4, 2021
Dear St. Paul Community,
This communication is to update you regarding covid cases and exposures in our St Paul public schools. Over the summer we had exposures in both our volleyball and football programs which resulted in quarantines for students and coaches. This fall, to date, we have had 6 cases at the elementary that have either tested positive or needed to be quarantined as a result of exposure. Our middle/high school has had 5 students that have missed school as a result of either testing positive or having been exposed to the virus. Currently, there are 3 students in our high school that are quarantined. It is important for you to know that we continue to follow all sanitation and social distancing guidelines as well as requiring masks to the best of our ability in our schools. It is also important for the community to know that there have been no cases of covid transmission traced back to our schools, all contact tracing has led to exposure as a result of outside of school gatherings and activities. As a result, the district continues to monitor and make decisions based on our county health departments recommendations as well as those protocols outlined in the Ready Schools Safe Learners guidance. Our schools, students, staff, and the community have all made sacrifices to keep our schools safe in an attempt to ensure that we can remain open. You may have seen in the news that some local districts, as well as districts statewide, have been forced to close or return to online learning due to increases in cases. Our goal is to avoid this scenario and keep our doors open. We welcome your feedback as we continue to monitor the situation here in the district and encourage parents to continue to complete a wellness check of students prior to sending them to school. Students who exhibit signs of illness should be kept home and you may contact either school to arrange for covid testing for your child. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Joseph M. Wehrli
St. Paul School District
Superintendent/Elementary Principal