Dear Lakehill Community,
Congratulations and Thank You!!!
Congratulations Warriors, we have completed four weeks on campus. Students and teachers are enjoying being together and having the students at home join in via Zoom. Thank you to everyone for working hard to follow the protocols so that we all stay healthy and can remain on campus. As of today, we have had no known cases of COVID-19 on campus.
As we move into October and the cooler weather, I would like to emphasize a few points so that we continue to mitigate the spread of any illness. Additionally, included are some “what if” scenarios regarding notification and returning to school after an illness that may be helpful in clarifying situations we may encounter.
Maintaining our good habits
Everyone is doing a great job wearing masks. Thank you so much for staying mindful and making sure masks are worn at all times. Here a few reminders just to keep us on our toes.
- Masks must fit snuggly over the nose, mouth, and chin, and against the side of the face.
- Masks must include multiple layers of fabric or be disposable surgical masks.
- Bandanas, gaiters, and gaping or flowing face coverings are not permitted.
- Face shields are not permitted for students unless worn in addition to a mask.
- Masks should be changed if they become wet or soiled.
- Students should bring an extra mask to school each day in case it is needed.
Continue to perform the health screening each morning before coming to school. If any symptoms are present, stay home. With the at-home option and students being able to join class via Zoom, this is not the year to tough it out and come to school. If a student is not feeling up to par, parents should contact the people listed below while the student gets some rest, joins class via Zoom if desired, and gets to feeling better.
When on campus, we will continue to stress hand washing, or hand sanitizing, and the practice of good personal hygiene.
If a student is going to miss a class on campus due to not feeling well,
we need the parent to communicate with the people listed below via email.
The email should include the following:
- a description of the symptoms and
- when the symptoms began.
All information communicated will be confidential. Those included in the email will be held to the privacy standards required for protected health information.
Amanda Barbour, our school nurse, will contact the parent to discuss the situation prior to the student returning to campus. Below are some “what if” scenarios regarding returning to campus after being absent from school on campus.
Symptoms of COVID-19
- Temperature equal to or above 100.4 F
- Sore throat
- Cough (for those with chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, a change in their baseline)
- Diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain (for those with chronic issues, a change in their baseline)
- Headache (for those with chronic issues, a change in their baseline)
- New loss of taste or smell
- Congestion or runny nose (for those with chronic allergies, a change in their baseline)
- Muscle or body aches
- Fatigue that is greater than normal
What if we have a lab confirmed COVID-19 case on campus, how will we be notified?
Our notification policy is as follows:
- If an individual on our campus is confirmed to have COVID-19, the school will notify the Lakehill community and local health department, in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations, including confidentiality requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
- LPS Nurse or Administration will inquire and complete a COVID-19 Response questionnaire for every individual student or staff that tests positive for COVID-19. The questionnaire will remain confidential and used only by the school nurse or clinical support. The questionnaire will be destroyed after its use.
- Based on the symptoms identified and analysis by the school nurse with clinical support, the COVID-19 Response Team (CRT) will determine whether to further notify parents/students of potential exposures and how to self-isolate and monitor for symptoms.
- Decisions on further notification will take into consideration mask usage and whether close contact is suspected to have occurred.
- Anyone who came in close contact with the lab-confirmed individual without a mask for a cumulative time period of 15 minutes or more will be contacted and required to quarantine for 14 days.
- Anyone who came in close contact with the lab-confirmed individual while both parties were wearing masks will be required to self-monitor, and if symptoms arise stay home and isolate.
- Any other notification will be dictated by the specific circumstances and determined by the CRT.
For example, if someone in third grade is lab confirmed, the school community will be generally notified stating that there is a lab-confirmed case on campus. No other details will be given.
The students sitting next to that person at lunch will be personally notified and required to quarantine because at lunch the students have masks off.
All other students in third grade will be notified that there is a case in third grade and they should self-monitor.
If others were in close contact for some reason, those will be personally notified as well, and based on mask usage, will be instructed to either quarantine or self-monitor.
What if a student tests positive for COVID-19?
The parent should inform the school nurse immediately so that contact tracing can be done.
The family should follow the guidance of their primary care provider.
The student may not return to campus until
- a minimum of 14 days after the symptoms first appeared AND
- the student is fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication AND
- the student is cleared to return to campus by a primary care provider.
What if the student is well but someone in the household tests positive for COVID-19 or the student has had close personal contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID 19?
If the student has been in close contact with the lab-confirmed individual without a mask for a cumulative time period of 15 minutes or more, or has had direct physical contact with the person, the student must quarantine for 14 days after the last day of known exposure.
The parent should inform the school nurse and report the date of last known exposure.
The student may return to campus after the quarantine period if he or she does not develop symptoms.
What if a student has a fever and other symptoms?
The student should not be on campus (if the student is at school, he or she will be sent home).
The parent should contact the school as noted above in the section “If a student is going to miss a class on campus due to not feeling well.”
The parent should contact the primary care provider to obtain guidance with regard to COVID-19 testing and when the student is cleared to return to school.
The school nurse will conference with the parent and will follow the guidance of the primary care provider as to when the student will be able to return to campus.
What if a student has symptoms but no fever?
The decision as to whether the student should be on campus will be determined by the severity and probable cause of the symptoms.
For example, if a student develops a stomach ache and misses class, but the cause of the symptom is determined to be noninfectious, the student may return to campus once he or she feels well enough to do so and the parent has conferenced with the school nurse.
Likewise, if a student has a headache but has no other signs or symptoms of illness and/or suffers from chronic headaches the headache is not out of the ordinary, the student may return to campus once he or she feels well enough to do so and the parent has conferenced with the school nurse.
The same is true with congestion or cough and sneezing. If a student has known diagnosed medical issues and his/her symptom are considered to be at baseline, the student may return to campus when he or she feels well enough to do so and the parent has conferenced with the school nurse.
However, if the student’s complaint is new or more severe, the student will stay home and the parent will be asked to consult the student’s primary care provider for further advise. The student may return to campus with written permission from his/her primary care provider and the parent has conferenced with the school nurse.
If the student is going to miss class, the parent should contact the school as noted above in the section “If a student is going to miss a class on campus due to not feeling well.”
Our top priority is to keep everyone on campus healthy and mitigate the spread of any illness as much as possible. As you can imagine, each situation is unique just as each person is unique. We will do our very best to ensure care for the individual involved as well as the protection of the greater community.
Again, I want to thank everyone for their diligence in following the protocols we have on campus. Have a great day, enjoy this wonderful weather and take care of each other.
