With the new school year approaching, the Jamestown Public Schools District has shared updated guidance regarding COVID-19.

Information comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and New York State Department of Health. The school district posted the updated guidance to its website and relates to those who have tested positive for COVID-19 or who have been exposed to someone with the virus.

School districts across New York had been awaiting information from the state after the CDC earlier this summer dropped its quarantine and social distancing recommendations.

Dr. Kevin Whitaker, Jamestown Public Schools superintendent, summed up the COVID-19 guidance Tuesday during a meeting of the school board.

“If you’re sick stay home, if you test positive stay home for five days and then mask for five after that,” he said. “If you have symptoms then you can test out. You can essentially say, ‘I don’t have any issues,’ or you can wear a mask for a period of time.”

“But gone are the mandatory quarantines that knocked out so many staff members and so many students for so long two weeks at a time,” he continued. “It was just crazy. So we’re starting to emerge from this thing and reenter and rebuild a new world in our school district, and it’s looking pretty positive.”

Regardless of vaccination status, the state Department of Health said students and staff who have symptoms of the virus should get tested, notify their school and then contact a health provider for further guidance.

Students and staff can return to school if test results are negative, with a negative test result provided. If not tested, students and staff can return after five days if they are fever-free for at least 24 hours and other symptoms improve.

Testing positive for COVID-19 requires staying home for five days along with notifying close contacts who may have been exposed. And, as Whitaker stated, those exposed to COVID-19 are asked to wear a face mask, watch for symptoms and then test after five days or as soon as symptoms develop. If exposed and no symptoms appear, students and staff can return to school.

Information on the guidance can be found on the district’s website at jpsny.org/Page/12340

Whitaker said he was excited for the return of classes. The first day, a half day, is Tuesday while the first full day of school is Wednesday.

The superintendent urged caution near school zones when classes resume.

“We have a large number of walkers in our district and please be careful,” he said. “There’s going to be not only buses on the roads but there’s going to be kids and parents and cars and, especially for that first week maybe first two weeks, new traffic patterns and people going to new schools. It’s just kind of going to be a little bit of a slow down, so be careful, use caution. Safety, safety, safety.”

Patrick Slagle, school board vice president, said he too was excited for the start of school.

“It’s definitely good to have everyone back, and I look forward to all the opening day pictures that will be on social media and in the papers,” he said. “It’s always an exciting time.”