Pacelli School closing Thursday, Friday due to community COVID numbers

(ABC 6 News) – Pacelli school in Austin announced it will be closed this Thursday and Friday, Jan. 6-7, due to Mower County being listed as a high transmission area for new COVID cases.

This is the letter sent to parents and guardians:

January 5th, 2022
Dear Parent/Guardian,
Pacelli Catholic Schools is committed to the safety and health of our students and staff.
As schools across the state resumed full in-person learning this fall, schools needed to be
prepared to respond quickly when COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the school and
community-at-large.
The CDC recently reviewed cases and reported 828,417 new cases around the nation
as of January 3, 2022. This steep incline in cases has occurred following the holiday season. At
a state level, Minnesota reported 16,204 positive cases. At the local County level, the check has
the Mower county added 69 cases bringing the cumulative total for the county to 7,883. The
county is listed as a High Transmission area, according to the county COVID-19 tracker.
At Pacelli we have also seen a steep rise in cases following Christmas break, we
currently have 7 confirmed positive cases of COVID – 19, 5 families awaiting testing, and more
than thirty students who are quarantining as a result of these positive cases. Due to this incline
in cases, impacting Pacelli we want to inform you of a decision that falls heavy on our hearts.
Beginning, Thursday, January 6, 2022, we will close the school and remain closed on
Friday, January 7th, 2022. We will meet as a school team to address our existing COVID
Preparedness plan for our students. We expect to have updated information for families in
our weekly announcements on Friday, January 7th, 2022. Pacelli is committed to taking the
steps necessary to help everyone return to school safely after the Christmas holiday.
As part of steps to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and keep our school open, we ask
you to please continue to monitor yourselves on a daily basis. Our health and screening form is
attached as a resource and side regarding symptoms. Please do NOT come to school if you
have symptoms, and reach out to the school to report positive and probable positive COVID-19
cases. We will have our Shamrock Zone open on Thursday, January 6th – Friday, January 7th,
2022. Masks will be required to be worn if your child attends. Contact Marie Viker, the Director
of Early Childhood Education & Shamrock, to notify the school of your intention to send your
child(ren).
Thank you for helping to keep our students and staff safe. If you have any questions
please reach out to the school.
St. Rafael pray for us.
God Bless,
Kane Malo
PreK-12 Principal
Pacelli Catholic School
From the Pacelli Preparedness Plan
Pacelli recommends individuals follow the CDC suggested guidelines for quarantine. A
quarantine period for individuals not vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine that are exposed to
a positive case of COVID-19 are as follows:
? 7-day quarantine
? Test on day 5 or after
? Return to school on or after day 8 with a negative test
Unvaccinated exposed individuals may also choose to complete a 14-day quarantine period
without a test unless they experience common COVID-19 symptoms.
Those that are Vaccinated and exposed to COVID-19 are not required to or recommended
to quarantine as long as the individual is not exhibiting symptoms. CDC guidance also
currently recommends vaccinated close contacts wear a mask for 14 days in public
settings or get tested on day 3-5.
COVID-19 Symptoms
If you have any of the following symptoms please do not attend school and stay home from all
activities:
? Fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
? New Cough or a cough that gets worse
? Difficulty/hard time breathing
? New loss of taste or smell
? Nasal congestion/stuffy or runny nose
? Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
? Muscle pain
? Extreme fatigue/feeling very tired
? Sever/very bad headache
? Chills
If you choose to quarantine your child and they test positive please notify the school.
Here is a link to the updated Minnesota COVID Decision Tree