Vicksburg Warren School District revises COVID-19 recommendations

Published 5:50 pm Monday, August 2, 2021

After receiving revised COVID-19 recommendations from the Mississippi State Department of Health, the Vicksburg Warren School District has altered its back-to-school plan.

“The MSDH on Friday removed the quarantine two-day testing option for unvaccinated students and staff,” VWSD director of communications Christi Kilroy said.

Now, non-vaccinated students and staff will have seven, 10 and 14-day quarantine options if they have been in close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19.

In keeping with the MSDH regulations, prior to the July 30 revision, the original plan approved by the VWSD Board of Trustees gave non-vaccinated students and staff a seven-day-plus test option.

This option was to allow individuals who had no symptoms for seven days and had a negative test result with any form of molecular-based testing collected on days five, six or seven of the quarantine period to return to school.

This option is no longer valid, however, the remaining two options will remain the same:

10-day option: Quarantine can end after 10 days if the individual has no symptoms during the entire 10-day period, or
14-day option: Students, teachers and staff who are not fully vaccinated and are identified as close contacts to someone with COVID-19 should be in quarantine for a full 14 days.

Kilroy said the District would continue to “match” the recommendations of the MSDH, Center for Disease Control and the Mississippi Department of Education.

“The District will remain committed to the safety and well-being of all its students and staff,” Kilroy said.

Following recommendations from the MSDH and MDOE, VWSD strongly recommends all individuals age 12 and older be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and that students, teachers, staff and visitors wear a mask fully covering both their mouth and nose while indoors.

The District’s full Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Service Plan for the 2021-22 school year plan has been updated online and can be viewed at www.vwsd.org/reopen2021.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

More by Terri Cowart