February 8, 2021
Dear Independence Local Schools’ Families,
I want to inform you that this weekend we received information that a sixth-grade student from Independence Middle School tested positive for COVID-19. The student was last in school Friday, February 5. The student started showing symptoms later that evening. There are two middle school students who will be in full quarantine due to being in close contact without masks during lunch. There are three middle school students who will continue to attend class and should remain in quarantine outside the classroom environment, including staying home and, if possible, staying away from people who are at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. During this quarantine period, students may not participate in extracurricular activities outside of a classroom environment, such as sports practices or games.
In what we believe is an unrelated event, we also received information that a seventh/eighth-grade teacher from Independence Middle School also tested positive for COVID-19. The teacher was last in school Friday as well. There are no close contacts and no need for other individuals to quarantine in this incident.
With every school-based positive test, we work closely with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and anyone identified as a close contact is notified by the school administrators as a part of COVID-19 investigation. Close contacts are individuals who have been within six feet for 15 minutes or more within a 24 hour period with the person who tested positive. If close contacts are in classroom and/or school bus settings and are masked, they do not need to quarantine.
Cleaning and disinfecting of all buildings will continue to be completed.
If you have any questions, contact Tom Dreiling at 216/642-5852, me at 216/642-5850, or the Cuyahoga County Board of Health at 216/201-2000. Thank you for helping to keep people safe and to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community and school.
For answers to your COVID-19 questions, call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634) or visit coronavirus.ohio.gov. Resources from the CDC include:
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. If you or a loved one are experiencing anxiety related to the coronavirus pandemic, help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call the COVID-19 CareLine at 1-800-720-9616.
Sincerely,
Ben Hegedish
Superintendent
Independence Local Schools
