October 27, 2020
Dear Independence School Families,
The Independence Local School District is committed to the safety and health of our students and staff. We want to inform you that today we received information that a ninth-grade student from Independence High School tested positive for COVID-19. The student was last in school Thursday, October 22 and was exhibiting symptoms by the end of the day. The student is at home resting and well on his way to recovery at this time.
We are working closely with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and anyone identified as a close contact has been notified by 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 teacher who tested positive. Individuals who are determined to be close contact will be instructed by the school administrator 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, a school administrator has already individually contacted families of students needing to enter into the quarantine period. In this particular case, 20 students have been placed into quarantine; these students should continue with remote instruction during the time period.
Cleaning and disinfecting of the high classrooms will be completed.
Independence High School classrooms will be open for school as usual tomorrow.
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
