ROCKAWAY BOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
Dear Rockaway Borough Parents and Families,
Last week, the New Jersey Department of Health as well as the CDC made some revisions to the exclusion guidelines for students and staff. regarding COVID-19. Please read the following notes and guidelines that our school nurses have put together as your cooperation and compliance are of the utmost importance in keeping our buildings open but still ensuring the safety of both students and staff.
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Schools are no longer required to exclude “in-school” close contacts of someone who becomes ill with Covid-19 Compatible Symptoms*, but who has not yet been tested for Covid-19. So whereas recently we sometimes had to send an entire classroom home if someone in the class became ill, the NJDOH no longer requires schools to do this. At this time, if someone becomes ill during the school day, only the ill individual will be sent home, and they must remain at home until they test negative for Covid-19, (or for ten days from the onset of symptoms if they choose not to be tested). “In-school” close contacts, such as those who were in the same classroom as or who worked with the ill individual, will no longer be sent home at that time, as had previously been required. However, any siblings or household members of the ill individual must be sent home and must remain home until the ill individual tests negative for Covid-19, (or for 14 days if the ill individual is not tested).
Schools are still required to exclude “in-school” close contacts of anyone who tests positive for Covid-19. Students and staff members determined to be close contacts of anyone in school who tests positive for Covid-19 will need to be quarantined for 14 days from the last date of contact with the positive individual.
The NJDOH is once again permitting pre-existing conditions to be taken into consideration when determining if symptoms warrant Covid-19 exclusion criteria. Per the NJDOH: "For students with chronic illness, only new symptoms or symptoms worse than baseline should be used to fulfill symptom-based exclusion criteria". Please remember, documentation of pre-existing conditions/chronic illness must already be on file with the nurses.
The NJDOH continues to prohibit schools from accepting healthcare providers' notes stating an alternate diagnosis in the absence of a negative Covid-19 test. Per the NJDOH: " An alternate diagnosis (including a positive strep test or influenza swab) without a negative COVID-19 test is not acceptable for individuals who meet COVID-19 exclusion criteria to return to school".
Guidelines that have not changed but are worth repeating are:
If someone in a student's household is being tested for Covid-19 due to illness, the student should stay home until the test result is received.
If a student has a household member or other close contact outside of school who is ill with Covid-19 Compatible Symptoms*, the student must remain at home until the ill individual tests negative for Covid-19. If the ill individual is not tested, the student must remain home for 14 days from the date of their last exposure to the ill person. If someone in a student's household tests positive for Covid-19, the student must remain at home for the recommended period of quarantine, (generally 14 days, but may be longer if isolation of the ill individual is not possible).
Students with Covid-19 Compatible Symptoms* must not come to school until they receive a negative Covid-19 test, have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, and other symptoms have improved. If the student is not tested for Covid-19, they must be excluded from school for ten days from the date of symptom onset. A screening tool follows this update for your reference.
*Covid-19 Compatible Symptoms: At least two of the following symptoms: fever, chills, shivers, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, congestion or runny nose; OR at least one of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, new loss of sense of smell, or new taste disorder.
Parents/Guardians: Please review this form daily before sending your child to school and report your child’s information to your child’s school nurse, (Mrs. Denise Jacobus, RN, at djacobus@rockboro.org or 973-625-8602 for Lincoln School, or Mrs. Linda Savercool RN at lsavercool@rockboro.org or 973-625-8603 for Thomas Jefferson School), if any of the symptoms or close contact/exposure fields are checked off.
Section 1: Symptoms
Any of the symptoms below could indicate a COVID-19 infection in children and may put your child at risk for spreading illness to others. Please note that this list does not include all possible symptoms and children with COVID-19 may experience any, all, or none of these symptoms. Please check your child daily for these symptoms
:
Column A Column B
___ Fever (100.0F or higher) ___ Cough
___ Chills ___ Shortness of breath
___ Rigors (shivers) ___ Difficulty breathing
___ Myalgia (muscle aches) ___ New loss of smell
___ Headache ___ New loss of taste
___ Sore throat
___ Nausea or Vomiting
___ Diarrhea
___ Fatigue (feeling tired)
___ Congestion or runny nose
Students who are sick (e.g. fever, vomiting, diarrhea) should not attend school in-person. If TWO OR MORE of the fields in Column A are checked off, or AT LEAST ONE field in Column B is checked off, please keep your child at home and notify the school for further instructions.
Section 2: Close Contact/Potential Exposure
Please verify if in the last 14 days:
_____Your child had close contact (within 6 feet of an infected person for 15 or more minutes during a 24-hour period) with a person with COVID-19.
_____ Someone in your household is diagnosed with or is being tested for COVID-19, or someone in your household has any of the COVID-19 symptoms listed above in Section 1
_____ Your child has traveled from any U.S. state or territory outside of New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, or has traveled out of the country
If any of the fields in this section are checked off, contact your child’s school nurse, Mrs. Denise Jacobus, RN at djacobus@rockboro.org or 973-625-8602 for Lincoln School, or Mrs. Linda Savercool, RN at lsavercool@rockboro.org or 973-625-8603 for Thomas Jefferson School, for the most current exclusion recommendations before sending your child to school. Contact your child’s healthcare provider or your local health department (973-537-7118) for further guidance.
Many thanks to our nurses for summarizing and sharing this information as we look forward to your continued support and cooperation in following these important health directives and guidelines.
