It is the intent of the Berkeley County Board of Education to comply with all WV laws and code for providing a safe school environment while promulgating the following guidance on face masks, contact  tracing and quarantine protocols. 

The Berkeley County Board of Education hereby revises its universal masking policy that masks be optional in Berkeley County Schools and board owned facilities, effective Tuesday, February 22, 2022. Face coverings will still be required on all Berkeley County Schools’ buses due to the federal mask mandate of US Department of Transportation and TSA directive. *UPDATE 2/25/22: Face coverings are optional on BCS buses.

The West Virginia Department of Education’s Updated COVID-19 Protocols dated January 31, 2022, state that “Given the quick spread of the Omicron variant and its rapid clinical course, it  has made contact tracing in schools impractical when combined with the newly reduced timelines for quarantine and isolation set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”

• Quarantining shall be in accordance with DHHR written directions/state code, which give quarantine authority and implementation to the Berkeley-Morgan Health Department (BMCHD) and WV Bureau of Public Health.
• Employees of the Berkeley County Board of Education are not required to perform duties outside of regular school hours or required to work overtime to assist the BMCHD with contact tracing. No information beyond the name and contact information of the identified positive COVID-19 individual will be released to the BMCHD or WV DHHR Bureau for Public Health.
• The Berkeley County Board of Education encourages students, staff and visitors to wear masks according to everyone’s personal health risk factors. This procedure should not be construed as an effort to preclude or discourage anyone from wearing face
• The Superintendent may take other necessary actions and may implement practices and mitigation measures that he deems necessary in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, provided such actions and practices are consistent with the rules and policies of the

These practices are important to not only guard against COVID-19, but also the spread of other infections such as flu and the common cold.

When students or staff tests positive for COVID-19

• Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 should stay home for at least 5 days and isolate from others.
• Day 0 is the first day of symptoms of a positive test if asymptomatic.
• Students and staff may return to school if they:
  • Stayed home and isolated for at least 5 full days
  • Are fever free for 24 hours ( without the use of fever-reducing medications)
  • Have symptoms that are improving
• Individuals who were severely ill or immunocompromised should stay home and isolate for 10 days.
• Students and staff should take precautions when returning to school after completing their 5-day isolation. This includes wearing a well-fitted mask for 10 full days (days 6-10) inside the school. If a mask is unable to be worn, they should continue to isolate and remain at home for 10 days or have a negative test on day 5 or later.
• Students should not be allowed to participate in unmasked extracurricular activities during the 6-10 if they obtain a negative antigen test on day 5 or later.

Case Reporting and Considerations for School Closure

• Schools are to report in aggregate the number of positive staff and students for the prior week (Thursday to Thursday) to an online portal. This will allow for a more robust tracking of COVID-19 cases and will measure the true burden COVID-19 has on our school system by measuring the percent positivity.
• Schools may consider closing for a five-day period to slow transmission, in consultation with the local health department, based on one of the thresholds:
  • School is unable to maintain a safe school environment due to the number of staff out with COVID.
  • School COVID-19 percent positivity exceeds 20% on the weekly report
• Five-day closures do require all extra-curricular events to be cancelled/postponed. However, schools needing to close for a day or two due to staffing, may conduct extra-curricular events based on their county-level policies.
• Universal contact tracing is not required, however, parents should be notified if there is a positive case in the school or classroom.

Students and staff who test positive for the communicable disease COVID-19 shall stay isolated from school and extra-curricular activities for at least 5 days. Day 0 will be the start of symptoms or the date of the positive COVID-19 test for asymptomatic individuals. Individuals who return to school on days 6-10 should wear a mask at all times. All identified positive individuals are to contact their school so the attendance can be accurately documented.

Students and staff may return to school if:

• They have stayed home and isolated for at least 5 full
• Are fever free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medications).
• Their symptoms are
• Individuals who are severely ill or immunocompromised should stay home and isolate for 10

Students and staff should take precautions when returning to school after completing their 5-day  isolation. This includes wearing a well-fitted mask for 10 full days (days 6-10) inside the school and on buses. If a mask is unable to be worn, they should continue to isolate and remain at home for 10 days.

Youth should not be allowed to participate in unmasked extracurricular activities while in isolation and potentially infectious. Schools may consider allowing youth to participate in unmasked extracurricular activities during days 6-10 if they obtain a negative antigen test on day 5 or later.