Gibraltar District’s Quarantine Readiness Still Not Needed

Fish Creek – With the goal of keeping more students in class and out of quarantine, Gibraltar School District officials have steadfastly emphasized that a universal masking requirement results in fewer quarantine orders for entire classrooms than occurred in 2020.

And the plan still seems to be working. Students were told on a Friday to take their laptops home with them in case more students than one who tested positive would need to quarantine, but the district did not have to follow through completely.

“We had a student test positive in the middle school,” said Tina Van Meer, Gibraltar Schools superintendent. “The district found out late on a Friday afternoon. My administrative team had the students and teachers take home their technology for the weekend just in case. Fortunately, there was no spread from this incident, and students were back in the classrooms on Monday.”

Van Meer said they’ve had positive cases that have come from outside the building, but they have not experienced any spread within the building – a situation she attributes to the district’s safety measures, including universal masking. 

“Students in the secondary [school levels] have struggled a little to maintain proper masking but easily comply when asked to cover their noses,” Van Meer said.

She urged families to monitor their children’s health each day and keep them home if they are experiencing symptoms. 

“It is also important to contact the school to let us know what is happening so that we are better able to monitor potential spread in the building,” Van Meer said.