Noblesville, HSE schools requiring masks

Noblesville Schools mandates masks for all staff, students, visitors indoors

On Friday, Noblesville Schools announced that, in an effort to keep schools open and minimize learning disruptions, the district will move to an indoor mask requirement for all staff, students and visitors at all schools effective Monday, Aug. 16.

A statement issued by Noblesville Schools said:

We have loved having our students back in our buildings these past two weeks and are excited for the learning adventures we have ahead. Unfortunately, COVID rates are putting in-person learning, athletics, performing arts, and special events and activities at risk.

Specifically we are seeing:

• Noblesville Schools COVID rates that are already at the peak of what we experienced last winter.
• Student absenteeism rates that are among the highest we have ever seen at any time.
• A significantly more contagious and powerful COVID Delta variant than the COVID we experienced last year, spreading and infecting much more rapidly. National data is showing that these infections in children can be more serious than last year’s COVID.
• Many students coming to school with symptoms of illness, despite our COVID protocol that anyone with symptoms of illness should stay home.
• COVID coming into our buildings from those who are not vaccinated and spreading to both unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals.

This week Noblesville schools experienced three major outbreaks that required school officials to disrupt learning for hundreds of students by quarantining two teams at Noblesville East Middle School and a classroom at White River. This was in addition to many other individual quarantines throughout the district.

Approved masks include cloth, neck gaiter, disposal or medical grade. Bandanas are not approved for use as a mask and face shields will only be used by select staff and students in specific, approved situations.

The mask requirement is just one level of protection and we strongly encourage staff, students and families who are eligible to receive a COVID vaccination. Vaccinations have been shown to significantly slow the spread of COVID and protect against severe illness and death. Please see details below about an upcoming immunization clinic we’re hosting.

We also urge families to follow our COVID protocols. Please keep students at home if they exhibit any signs of illness. Follow up with your medical provider and seek COVID testing, as needed. Keep your entire household home if any family member is waiting for COVID test results.

We will continue to closely monitor COVID in our schools and may make further changes to our protocols. We update our COVID overview data weekly on Monday mornings for the previous week and you can find that reporting here. (We are still contacting individual families and tallying our data from this week.)

Thank you for your patience and support as we make this change to keep our schools in session and best serve all students, staff and families.

Immunization Clinic

The school district will hold an immunization clinic from 3 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 25 at the Noblesville Schools Community Center, 1775 Field Drive, Noblesville. Noblesville Schools will offer the Pfizer COVID vaccine for students and adults age 12 years and older.

To participate in the immunization clinic, please sign up here and complete a consent form either online with code IN65942 or by downloading, signing and bringing a hard copy from the links below. Please also bring your health insurance card, if you have one. We will still provide vaccinations for uninsured students.

• Online English Immunization Coalition Consent
• Download English Immunization Consent
• Online Spanish Immunization Coalition Consent
• Download Spanish Immunization Consent

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HSE Superintendent Dr. Yvonne Stokes explains rationale for indoor masking rules

Hamilton Southeastern Schools Superintendent Dr. Yvonne Stokes released the following statement about the school district’s policy on masking.

We have made it through a partial and first full week of the new school year, and I believe I speak for most for when I say – the return of students to our buildings has given us a renewed sense of purpose and appreciation to work alongside you and your family once again.

I also would like to thank you for your understanding and patience as we ramped up operations following a year without being at full capacity. Last year was tough, and we had hoped this year would be as close to pre-COVID times for our students and staff as possible. Unfortunately, we are still living in a pandemic.

As you know, our community and state are experiencing an increase in COVID-positive cases due the highly contagious, circulating Delta variant. Our schools are not immune to this trend. Since classes began, we have tracked 80 positive cases in our student population and more than 500 students have been notified as being a close contact.

Due to the spike in numbers and the updated guidance from healthcare officials, beginning on Monday, August 16, masks will be required for all students and staff, K through 12, when indoors during the school day, regardless of vaccination status. 

I know this will not make everyone happy, but it is my goal to protect our students and staff and keep our schools open and running.

This change is reflective of what local and state health departments have messaged to schools.

A benefit of universal masking is that it will allow us to limit the number of students and staff quarantined by contact tracing at 3-feet versus at 6-feet in the classroom-setting only.

Another change we are making is reducing the length of quarantine for unvaccinated students and staff. The CDC gives options for reduced quarantine which include:

• 10-day quarantine with return to school on day 11, or
• 7-day quarantine with a return to school on day 8, if a negative PCR test was obtained on day 5, 6 or 7 from date of exposure. (Result must be given to school nurse ​prior to student’s return to school.)

In both circumstances, individuals will need to be symptom-free and will also need to maintain distancing and increase personal hygiene for the full the 14 days.

Please remember, these changes are what we believe will keep our students learning in-person, in their classrooms – and that is our goal.

You can review these updates and more in our Return to In-person Instruction Plan, which can be downloaded from our website.