A positive COVID case was reported this week in the upper grades. All close contacts were contacted the same day. Because we cannot say how quickly the health department might move in contacting those impacted by a positive case, we will generally move first for the benefit of our families. The sooner we can let people know, the sooner we can get work collected for students and help them plan for remote learning. Official follow-up should eventually come from the health department, however.
Vaccination against COVID-19 is now available for children ages 5-11. Parents who have questions or wish their child to participate may contact their child’s physician, their preferred health system, or their local health department. Vaccination is not required for attendance and is a decision that will remain with individuals and families. You are not required to provide vaccination status to the school unless your child is identified as a close contact and that information is needed for determining if he/she needs to quarantine at home.
Thank you to all who acted out of an abundance of caution and kept their children home this week if they were showing symptoms of concern, however mild. We encourage families to keep practicing good illness-prevention practices: hand washing, surface cleaning, and monitoring of symptoms. Please note that when you call to report an absence, we will ask what symptoms your child has.
In our effort to do everything we can to keep students and staff healthy, we now have large room air purifiers running in every classroom!