March 4, 2020
To MBUSD Parents and Guardians,
State of COVID-19
While there is much still to be learned about COVID-19, we do know that the virus continues to spread and that Los Angeles County recently declared a Local State of Emergency which will provide more resources for the County if additional cases develop. There are now confirmed cases in LA County. According to the latest communication from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (2/29/20):
- For the general American public, who are unlikely to be exposed to this virus at this time, the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is considered low.
- People in communities where ongoing spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been reported are at elevated risk, though still relatively low risk of exposure.
- Healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19 are at elevated risk of exposure.
- Close contacts of persons with COVID-19 are at elevated risk of exposure.
- Travelers returning from affected international locations where community spread is occurring also are at elevated risk of exposure.
Precautions and Recommended Practices
At this time, students and school staff should go about their daily lives, practice, and same precautions they normally take during cold and flu season. As with other respiratory illnesses, there are daily steps that everyone can do to reduce the risk of getting sick or infecting others with circulating viruses:
- Staff and students who are ill should remain home.
- Persons who have been ill should stay home and be fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication before returning to school. Please abide by this. It is critical in prevention. I have witnessed first-hand how it makes others feel when there is a sick student or staff member on campus. Please follow this guideline!
- In addition to being fever-free, the County has recently advised that students and staff be free of a "productive moist cough spewing respiratory droplets." Persons who have such a cough should stay home and be cough-free before returning to school.
- Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. Help young children do the same.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
- Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- If possible, limit close contact with people who are sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- Cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue or sleeve (not your hands).
- Get a flu shot – it’s not too late to be protected against influenza.
Maintenance Practices
Our custodians will be shifting their focus and prioritizing the cleaning and sanitizing of commonly touched surfaces in our schools. Every night, our staff will be cleaning and sanitizing, to the highest degree possible, frequently touched surfaces including desks, cabinet tops, water fountains, and doorknobs. Additionally, you will see an increase in hand sanitizer throughout our schools over the next week. Thank you to our custodians for making this shift and helping keep our entire school community safe.
Field Trips
To date, the CDC has issued
travel warnings
for China, Iran, South Korea, and Italy, and for Japan, to older adults and those with medical conditions. Because of this, the Mira Costa Choir trip to Italy during spring break has been cancelled. As a parent/guardian it is, as per every trip, at your discretion to decide whether you send your healthy child on a trip. For District-approved field trips, including Model UN, athletic teams, local trips to museums, and other venues, we will continue to monitor recommendations from the CDC, LACOE, the LA Dept of Public Health and other governing bodies regarding each trip destination, and make our decisions accordingly.
Contingency Plans: In Case of School Closures
The CDC recently shared that COVID-19 may begin spreading in communities in the U.S., and that preparations for possible school closures that could last weeks or longer should begin now. We are working with County school and health officials to establish protocols for our schools in the event of a closure. I have every reason to believe that if a school closure is directed by the County Dept of Health, that MBUSD will receive funding for these days. I have therefore directed our principals to have teachers prepare how they will communicate assignments, lessons, or other content (email/Google classroom/online platforms), determine how students will communicate with them every day, the hours they'll be available for students, and any resources they can access from home. Having face to face live interactions with teachers is always the best thing for our students, but there is a lot of learning that can take place online as well. Hopefully we will not have to utilize the contingency plans, but if we do, we will be ready.
MBUSD will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as needed. If you have questions about these topics, please contact Student Services at (310)318-7345, ext. 5913.
I wish all of our families, teachers, and staff good health.
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Mike Matthews, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Manhattan Beach Unified School District
325 S. Peck Avenue
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310)318-7345, x5900
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[310-318-7345, x5902] [mmathews@mbusd.org] [www.mbusd.org]
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