Vermont governor says students will be asked if they attended large gatherings

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) said Tuesday that teachers and school staff will be instructed to instate an honor system to determine which students will need to quarantine after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Educators will be asked to question students and parents about whether they were part of multifamily gatherings over the fall break. Any student who answers yes will be moved to remote learning for 14 days or 7 days and a negative COVID-19 test, Scott said during a morning press conference.

Unfortunately, we know some will still get together and schools have asked for help. @VTEducation will direct schools to ask students or parents if they were part of multi-family gatherings and if the answer is yes, they’ll need to go remote for 14 days or 7 days and a test. 9/

— Governor Phil Scott (@GovPhilScott) November 24, 2020

Scott suggested that businesses follow the same policy with their employees.

“This isn’t a way around the ban or an excuse to get together,” Scott tweeted, referring to Vermont’s current coronavirus regulations, which ban social interactions between households. “The more we adhere to this policy, the faster we’ll lower case counts & ease up on restrictions.”

The policy will be carried out solely through an honor system.

“Schools operate on trust with their parents and their students, and we’re hopeful this guidance will give them some additional tools to help everyone do the right thing and keep school safe,” said Vermont Education Secretary Dan French, according to the Burlington Free Press.

The new regulations come as the Green Mountain State, which has witnessed the lowest cases of COVID-19 throughout the pandemic, has seen an increase in numbers in recent weeks.