Contact tracing among students has recently surged as the Omicron variant runs its course through the LT community. As students and staff have returned from winter break, COVID-19 cases have skyrocketed compared to the fall. One way we can keep LT safe through this stressful time is quick and accurate contact tracing. 

Without a doubt, the unsung heroes of this school year have been the health office staff, as well as those who work to ensure consistent contact tracing takes place each day. The second year of the pandemic has proven to be every bit as challenging as the first, and even though we have been presented with ways to combat the virus, there is still a lot of work to be done in the school health offices. This is work that can be extremely time consuming and demanding for the limited number of staff members that work in the health office, but is very crucial in keeping our school open. 

We owe it to these nurses to offer our help because of how much they do for us on a daily basis, to ensure our safety at school. For the past two years, they have been working tirelessly, and through all of the unexpected circumstances this pandemic has presented us with, they continue to adapt to the changing guidelines. 

In order for contact tracing to be effective, LT needs to be more transparent about the amount of close contact cases they receive. When a close contact is first identified, teachers are emailed a series of questions that are supposed to be answered. Their responses determine whether or not this person should be considered for close contact protocol. If they end up being a close contact, they receive an email home containing all of the information they need to know, and depending on vaccination status, if they need to quarantine immediately. We are sure that most of our peers can relate to hearing stories about students not being notified of close contacts, even though they have been considered close contacts.This lack of consistency makes the whole process seem questionable. To make matters even more concerning, the LT COVID-19 Dashboard is not even reporting the amount of close contact cases per week since the beginning of January. 

Their efforts have been phenomenal, but if there was more assistance in the health office, this could be a significantly smoother process. Close contacts could be notified at an even faster rate, therefore keeping LT safer and more efficient in preventing the spread of COVID-19. We hope the administration will prioritize getting more help in the health offices. The more help there is in making the contact tracing process more coherent, the better off the LT community will be at establishing a healthy and safe environment. 

Staff Vote: 25-0