The administrator leading Jim Thorpe’s pandemic response has stepped down after school board members voted to limit quarantines to students and staff who are showing symptoms of COVID-19.

Jerome Brown, the district’s director of technology, announced his resignation as pandemic coordinator after school board members changed the quarantine rules Wednesday night.

“I have followed the protocols, I have followed the law. To suggest otherwise would be improper and incorrect,” Brown said.

The board said that students and staff who were in contact with someone with COVID-19, but do not show symptoms themselves, no longer have to be quarantined.

The school board voted Wednesday night to limit quarantines to only students and teachers who are showing symptoms of the virus. Jim Thorpe school board members are frustrated with COVID-19 quarantines that they say are excessive and unnecessary.

“We’re denying the kids an education, not just one kid, hundreds of kids. At some point you have to look at, the solution is not worse than the virus,” said board member TJ Garritano.

Pearl Sheckler and Dennis McGinley voted against the change and Glenn Confer was absent.

Since students returned to school in September, the district was quarantining close contacts of people who tested positive for COVID-19. Garritano said quarantines are causing students to fall further behind in their courses.

“If they’re sick, they go home, if they’re not showing any symptoms, they’re in the classroom. We need to get back to life in America and stop this craziness,” Garritano said.

The district is dealing with a shortage of substitute teachers which affects many districts. Teachers have been working through their planning periods to cover classrooms, and some paraprofessionals have taught courses while being directed by a quarantined teacher through video chat.

Before Brown resigned, school board member Paul Montemuro proposed that the board remove him.

Montemuro wanted school nurses to be able to decide who is quarantined, with input from Lehigh Valley Health Network. He agreed to put the idea on hold after principals said that the school nurses are overworked, and not all of the buildings have a registered nurse.

Superintendent John Rushefski said he is concerned that only quarantining people who show symptoms could possibly violate state and federal guidelines.

Rushefski said he fully supports Brown’s performance as pandemic coordinator. He said that Brown works outside school hours and on weekends doing contact tracing, something they would not ask a school nurse to do.

“I have nothing but praise for Dr. Brown and how he’s handled this situation,” Rushefski said.