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COEUR d’ALENE — About 14% of Lake City High School's student population is in quarantine.

That's 206 of the school's 1,479 enrolled students.

"While we do have a large number of students who are in quarantine, our students are trying hard to follow the guidelines and protocols here at school, including wearing masks and social distancing when practical," LCHS Principal Deanne Clifford said Wednesday. "In fact, I commented on our school announcements (Wednesday) just how proud I am of students for continuing to follow our protocols."

The Coeur d'Alene School District has been in the "yellow" COVID-19 risk category since Oct. 5. In "yellow," traditional school is in session five days a week, spaces are maximized, social distancing is used where practicable and masks are required on school grounds and in buses. Schools provide mask breaks, and masks are allowed to be removed while students are eating.

Clifford said students, much like the rest of the nation, are feeling a sense of mask fatigue.

"We do run into the occasional student who is wearing their mask improperly or taking a quick unauthorized mask break," she said. "We address those situations as we come across them. We understand that masks are uncomfortable, although I have seen some pretty cool fashion statements on kids' faces lately."

At the junior high level, seventh grade social studies teacher Scott Traverse said while staff are always enforcing mask-wearing, it's tough to get through to some of the younger students.

"Staff are in a constant battle with students to actually wear their masks," he said. "I am considering taping a sign to my shirt that simply says, 'Put your mask back on.'"

The 25-year Coeur d'Alene School District veteran teacher said "there is no social distancing."

"It is impossible to do with all the kids in buildings that were not built for social distancing," Traverse said.

District communications director Scott Maben said most of the LCHS students in quarantine will return next week, with potentially 100 of them going back to class Tuesday.

He explained that contact tracing begins as soon as the district receives word that a student or staff member has tested positive.

"We determine when the onset of symptoms occurred, then look back 48 hours prior," Maben said. "This timeline has a big impact on the overall picture."

For example, he said, a student attends school on Monday and Tuesday, then develops a sore throat on Wednesday and stays home. That student gets a COVID test on Thursday or Friday, and notifies the school of a positive result on Sunday or Monday.

"That’s when we begin contact tracing, but we are looking back over a whole week to determine who was in close contact," he said.

"The contact tracing can involve speaking with the person who has COVID-19, reviewing student schedules and dates of attendance, speaking with teachers and coaches and reviewing student seating charts," he continued. "Sometimes it takes a little longer if we learn of a positive in the evening or on the weekend, but typically we try to complete contact tracing the same day we are informed of the positive test result."

Maben said the district and trustees are receiving feedback daily from the community, from teachers and from students, "and those communications, those messages are addressed to our board, appropriately, because it's the board’s call" whether to change the COVID risk level.

"I do know they're receiving it, they're reading it," he said. “We’re all watching closely and we’ll see what Panhandle does (today). If they change from 'yellow' to 'orange,' we would immediately be discussing a special meeting of the school board, and scheduling that so they can take it up."

As for athletics, Maben said multiple teams in the district have played games with some team members in quarantine, so other players have filled in for those unable to play.

"Lake City has not had to cancel any yet," he said. "Coeur d'Alene High School freshman football and junior varsity football each missed two games due to the earlier cases there."

Info: www.cdaschools.org