Sam Gross | Reno Gazette-Journal

An outbreak of whooping cough at Damonte Ranch High School has forced 19 unvaccinated students to unenroll from class during the highly contagious bacterial disease's 21-day incubation period.

Unenrollment was the best option for those students to avoid chronic absenteeism due to the absence, according to Dr. Bryn Lapenta, director of student accounting at the district.

Chronically absent students risk being held back a grade.

The school district cannot simply excuse those students from class, Lapenta said. The recently renewed Every Student Succeeds Act doesn't count missing class for not being vaccinated as an excused absence, meaning all of the school days those 19 students will miss will be counted toward their tally for chronic absenteeism.

The 19 affected students, who have claimed a religious exemption from the whooping cough vaccine, must wait 21 days since the last student was diagnosed with the bacterial disease before they can return to campus, per orders from the Washoe County Health District.

But if another student is diagnosed, the clock is restarted — potentially dragging out the 19 students' absences, Lapenta said.

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Unenrolling them prevents those 21 days -- or more -- from being counted against them. A student is considered chronically absent if they miss 10 percent or more of the total school days.

Right now, their expected return date is Nov. 26.

"I felt like it was the right thing to do because I didn't want to add to the burden of having been excluded from school by also having to worry about how many days you were absent," Lapenta said.

So far the outbreak of whooping cough, formally known as pertussis, has infected three students at the high school. Several other instances have been reported in schools around Washoe County, including one at McQueen High School and several others at Bishop Manogue.

Teachers sidelined during outbreak

The outbreak has also triggered a staffing shortage at the south Reno high school.

A total of 35 staffers — 19 teachers and 16 classified employees — have been sent home because they either do not have the vaccine or let their booster lapse, creating a "serious need" for substitutes.

Staffers who get their booster are required to wait seven days before they can return to campus.

It also caused the Nevada Interscholastic Athletics Association to postpone a Friday night playoff football game between Damonte Ranch and Reed High School until next Wednesday.

The 19 students who have unenrolled are being kept in contact with their teachers and counselors in an attempt to keep them up to date with their coursework.

If their mandatory absence causes them to miss finals, which must be taken in order to pass a class, they will be given an incomplete and will have time to make up that class.

They will not be held back or kept out of pace with their classmates, Lapenta said.

"It's not like we withdrew them and we don't expect them back or they're not welcome back or it's for punishment," she said. "It was done to take one more thing that people would have to worry about when they are having this issue in their family off of their plate."

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