January 25, 2022
Dear Independence Local Schools’ Families,
Late last week and early this week, we have recently been made aware of the following incidents of positive COVID-19 tests:
- A kindergarten student in Mrs. Hoffner’s class; no close contacts.
- A 6th-grade student; 3 close contacts.
- A 9th-grade student; no close contacts.
With a strong correlation to our county and zip code data, our school-based cases have also significantly dropped over the past few weeks. Short-term limitations and restrictions, such as the mask mandate and requiring meetings to be virtual, have expired. We will also be allowing visitors in the buildings again - this communication will be coming from your principals. We still strongly recommend masking and will offer virtual options for meetings. Only very healthy students and staff should attend school.
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 three feet for 15 minutes or more with the person who tested positive.
If exposed in a school setting, close contacts may continue to attend school and participate in school activities if they wear a mask and follow Ohio Department of Health guidelines. We rely on our families to inform us when a student tests positive or is exposed in another setting. If exposed in the home, or other environment, close contacts must stay home (quarantine) for 5 days and may return on day 6, while wearing a mask for at least 5 days, if they are symptom-free.
Important Reminders:
Quarantine is not required for individuals who
- Received a COVID-19 booster dose
- Completed a Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 primary vaccine series less than 6 months ago or a Johnson & Johnson vaccine series less than 2 months ago
- Tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 3 months and recovered.
But the following steps should be taken even if 1, 2, or 3 are met above:
- Wear a mask around others for 10 days after your last exposure to a positive case
- Take a test on day 5
- If you develop symptoms or test positive, you should continue to isolate in your home and follow-up with your healthcare provider.
We will continue to update our district’s COVID-19 information weekly through our dashboard, which is available on our district website.
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
