Lafayette Parish School Board meeting set to talk about changing quarantine policy

The Lafayette Parish School Board plans to discuss changes to quarantine regulations for students exposed to COVID-19 in a special meeting Tuesday.

The sole item on an agenda posted Monday afternoon concerns the 2021-22 Learn Lafayette Reopening Plan, which includes quarantine guidelines.

Britt Latiolais is one of the board members who requested the meeting. He said it's to "address lifting the governor's order and get back to educating students and keeping them in school."

It's a sentiment he and other board members shared at the regular meeting last week. They were frustrated about how much school asymptomatic students are missing due to quarantining and said they would call a special meeting to discuss changes to the policy.

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Currently the Lafayette Parish School System follows guidelines set under the governor's latest COVID-19 public health emergency proclamation, which calls for "close contacts" of positive cases to isolate for five days if a school district opts out of requiring masks.

The order is set to expire Wednesday.

"The goal was always to keep children in school," board member Justin Centanni said. "My hope is that we're ready to remove the quarantine restrictions so we can remove the unnecessary loss of learning time for students."

Background: Lafayette school board frustrated with quarantine rules, healthy students missing school

Board members will meet Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Central Office. The public may attend in-person or watch via livestream on AOC Media.

Contact children's issues reporter Leigh Guidry at Lguidry@theadvertiser.com or on Twitter @LeighGGuidry.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Lafayette school board meeting to consider changing quarantine policy