September 17, 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 we have recently received information that someone from Independence Middle School tested positive for COVID-19. We are working closely with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and anyone identified as a close contact has or will be notified by the health department and/or school administrators as a part of COVID-19 investigation. Close contacts are individuals who have been within 6 feet for 10 minutes or more with the student who tested positive. Individuals who are determined to be close contact will be instructed by the 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 administrators will individually contact families of students needing to enter into the quarantine period.
Cleaning and disinfecting of the eighth-grade classrooms will be completed.
Independence Middle School will remain open for 5th, 6th, and 7th grade at this time, though the eighth-grade team will operate in a remote setting for two weeks from the last day of contact with the positive individual (remote through Monday, September 28) due to the amount of individuals who have been determined to have been in close contact. Eighth-grade students will return to in-person learning on Tuesday, September 29. Our middle school football team will also have practices and games suspended during this time.
We ask you to take these steps to continue to be aware of your child’s health:
- As a precaution, consider postponing plans for play dates, family visits, and extracurricular and social activities for the next 14 days.
- Continue to check your child for COVID-19 symptoms daily: fever or chills, new uncontrolled cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, new onset of severe headache, especially with fever.
- If anyone in your household develops symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, they should immediately isolate and call the Cuyahoga County Board of Health at 216.201.2000. Also contact your medical providers.
- If NO symptoms develop and you have not been instructed otherwise to quarantine for a different exposure, your child may continue to attend school.
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
