In a five-four split, the Central Bucks School Board solidified its interest in modifying the current COVID-19 policy for students who may — or may not — return to in-person learning, reports Peter Blanchard for the Doylestown Patch. 

As things stand now, students who have been exposed to someone positive for coronavirus but are asymptomatic themselves must stay home for 10 days. That isolation is mandated whether students present symptoms or test positive themselves. 

The modification will allow students who have been exposed to someone positive for coronavirus but are asymptomatic themselves to return to school, provided they: 

• Are always masked, except when eating or drinking 
• Remain at least six feet from others 

Central Bucks School Superintendent John Kopicki cautioned that some schools may have to close if coronavirus cases continue to rise at their current pace. Board member John Gamble said he still supports modified quarantine, despite recent spikes in reported COVID-19 cases. 

“I get that our numbers are going up, but they’re not going up because of anything that’s going on in our building,” Gamble said. “Our teams have been phenomenal in cleaning our buildings. There is no evidence there is spread in our school. If there was, I would be voting the opposite way.” 

The issue will be discussed at the school board’s April 13 meeting. 

Further details on the policy and the meeting are available at the Doylestown Patch.