In order to synchronize with Kentucky Department of Education recommendations, the Trigg County School Board on Thursday unanimously approved a 10-day COVID-19 leave policy for all faculty and staff who test positive for the coronavirus, but are either vaccinated or medically/religiously exempt from a vaccine.
Retroactive to the beginning of the 2021-22 fiscal year, the policy also covers employees who must remain home with children who test positive or come down with COVID-19 symptoms.
Trigg County Superintendent Bill Thorpe said that the district has already observed three different and specific scenarios in regards to COVID-19 and the need for leave, including partially-vaccinated, vaccinated and unvaccinated staff and faculty.
The unanimous move comes as questions arose surrounding the possibility of needing to use personal sick days for mandatory quarantines, and this new language now clarifies some inter-district concerns and lines up similarly to other types of sick leave — like influenza.
Board member Charlene Sheehan noted their needed to be some incentives in “doing the right thing,” and that there’s already some precedent in the different types of leave and personal sick days.
As of Friday and according to Trigg County’s district COVID-19 dashboard, two staff members were in quarantine with zero active cases, but there were 22 active cases among students and 167 students in quarantine — most of them coming from Trigg County Primary School and Trigg County High School with 61 each.
