October 26, 2020
Dear Independence School Families,
We want to inform you that yesterday we received information that a behavior therapist from Independence Middle School tested positive for COVID-19. The employee was last in school Tuesday, October 20 and was exhibiting symptoms by the end of the day.
We are working closely with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and anyone identified as a close contact has been notified by the health department or school administrators as a part of COVID-19 investigation. Close contacts are individuals who have been within six feet for 10 minutes or more with the person who tested positive. Individuals who are determined to be close contact will be instructed by the school administrator and/or Board of Health to begin a 14-day quarantine period and are not permitted to attend school or any school functions; these students should remain home during this time. To reiterate, the Board of Health and/or school administrator has already individually contacted families of students needing to enter into the quarantine period. In this particular case, the employee worked with a specific student in a sixth-grade class: This specific student and 3 additional support staff members who have been determined to be in close contact with the positive-tested employee will begin the quarantine process.
Independence Middle School and the other classrooms will be open this week for school.
As our county and state continue to see an increase in infections, we will closely monitor all available data to make the best decisions for the health and safety of our students and staff. Our district reopening plans specify that our schools will enter into a “remote learning” setting if the Ohio Public Health Advisory System - the county color ratings - Cuyahoga County moves to purple. If Governor DeWine designates us as purple by the end of this week, or in upcoming weeks, we would transition to remote learning and likely remain there for at least two weeks. Our hope would then be that infection rates drop and we can safely return to in-person learning.
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
