Good Afternoon,
We wanted to be sure to send you the most recent communication sent to us by CA State Superintendent Tony Thurmond regarding COVID-19. The State Superintendent is sending regular updates to all California schools and I have included the guidelines he has given us as a school below. We will continue to follow the guidelines he has listed as well as following the procedures set out by Butte County Public Health.
Scenario I
(our current situation):
Measures already underway to prevent the spread of COVID-19
. Pursuant to prior guidance released, school administrators have or should immediately take steps to slow the spread of respiratory infectious diseases, including COVID-19. CDPH has recommended implementing the following steps:
• Review and update comprehensive school safety plans, including continuity plans for teaching and learning if students are absent from school.
• Exclude students, teachers, or staff who have a travel history over the course of the last 14 days to an area identified by the CDC as Level 3 Travel Health Notice
(see Evaluating and Reporting Persons Under Investigation by the CDC)
. Additionally, exclude those who have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 from the school for 14 days from the day of their last exposure.
• Send students, teachers, and staff who present with fever and/or respiratory infection symptoms home immediately. Separate them from others until they go home. When feasible, identify a “sick room” through which others do not regularly pass.
• Coordinate with all partner organizations serving students to ensure consistent practices.
• Encourage flu vaccine for those persons over 6 months of age who have not had it this season.
• Develop a plan to communicate with the school community.
• Contact your county emergency operations center if it has been is established or your local public health department immediately if you notice any concerning clusters of respiratory disease or spikes in absenteeism. For contact information, please search the local public health department website.
• Encourage all students, families, and staff to take everyday preventive actions:
- Stay home when sick.
- Remain at home until fever has been gone for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicines.
- Seek immediate medical care if symptoms become more severe, e.g., high fever or difficulty breathing.
- Use “respiratory etiquette.”
- Cover cough with a tissue or sleeve. See CDC’s Cover Your Cough page for multilingual posters and flyers, posted at the bottom of webpage.
- Provide adequate supplies within easy reach, including tissues and no-touch trash cans.
- Wash hands frequently.
- Encourage hand washing by students and staff through education, scheduled time for handwashing, and the provision of adequate supplies.
- Enhance cleaning consistent with CDC guidance (see Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection Recommendations).
Thank you again for your communication and support. At this time, we do not see a need to cancel or postpone Exhibition Night. We will be sure to contact you if that changes.
Warmly,
Wendy
