UPDATE COVID-19: 188 total cases (since counting began) and 5 deaths - School Protocols

The COVID-19 pandemic’s “new normal” is not easy for anyone, especially families with children going back to school, and struggling with staying healthy amid a pandemic that has arrived and been confirmed at some facilities.

At Clay Community School Corporation the initial concern about returning students to a traditional classroom was face coverings. The School Board of Trustees approved a policy change during their August public meeting that all students and staff members are required to wear face coverings, including while riding the school buses.

This small adjustment to the CCSC 2020-21 School Year Roadmap – which is the re-entry plan for returning to school - was approved in July and has been available on the school’s website - https://in02200674.schoolwires.net. Superintendent Jeff Fritz confirmed parents/guardians of all students and employees in the corporation would receive a flyer of a simplified explanation of the Roadmap.

“In-person instruction, which is the best, will be held in most situations if the risk levels are green or yellow,” Fritz has explained several times. “This is a living and breathing document. We will make changes and modifications when needed, and we expect them to happen. It’s a work in progress.”

The main thing the community, families of students, and the staff at CCSC need to know, according to both Fritz and the school board, is the main goal is to provide the safest learning experience for students and staff members.

However, the scope of work in creating and implementing the Roadmap project, which was one of the largest and hardest ever tackled by the corporation, some families and community members are finding it difficult to understand once implemented.

“This is uncharted territory for everyone,” said Fritz. “It is a fluid situation. I know people are tired of hearing that, but we are learning more about COVID-19 all the time.”

CCSC Health Services Lynn Stoelting has been working with the Clay County Health Department, Clay County Health Officer, and Director Dr. Camillo Mendoza, and Clay County Public Health Nurse Kim Hyatt to ensure the good health and safety of everyone involved in the schools.

But, at times, the “new normal” has proven difficult to implement the COVID-19 protocols for parents, students, staff members, administrators and health officials.

HOW THE COVID-19 PROTOCOLS ARE ENACTED

All parents received “The Symptoms of COVID-19” from CCSC prior to the beginning of the school year, and were encouraged to do a self-check with their children each morning before leaving for school. If a child had one or more symptoms they were supposed to stay home (If a family did not receive this health information, Stoelting urges them to contact the school nurse where their children attend to have one sent out immediately.)

As children come to school, some are experiencing “symptoms” during a school day that requires they go to the nurse’s office, or parents have decided their child should stay home and call the school to report the absence. These symptoms – usually more than one is present – include:

Congestion, runny nose, cough, sore throat

Headache, fever of 100.4, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills

Muscle pain, fatigue, the new loss of taste or smell

Due to the Indiana State Health Department’s guidelines for COVID-19, Stoelting explained the corporation must send students home who have symptom(s) that could be attributed to COVID-19, which then starts the protocol for students to safely return to school.

WHY DO I HAVE TO PICK UP A STUDENT IMMEDIATELY FROM SCHOOL, I HAVE TO WORK?

“Sick children with COVID symptoms need to go home immediately to prevent spread,” said Stoelting, who said this year, more than ever, it is important to have emergency contacts that can pick up a child should they become ill. “Masks are good prevention, but when children do not feel well or have a fever we must isolate them from other students, and send them home ASAP, per ISDH guidelines.”

The goal of opening schools is safety for everyone and the ISDH believes controlling the spread of the virus is vital.

POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE DOES IT MATTER

“With a positive COVID-19 test or if they are symptomatic and have no alternative explanation – such as ear infection, sinus infection, strep throat, etc. - then the student must stay home for 10 days and until symptom-free/fever-free without fever-reducing medications, even if they receive a negative COVID-19 test,” said Stoelting, who admits it gets confusing if a student has a COVID-19 test return negative.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whether a person, who is experiencing symptoms or has been identified as coming into close contact with a person confirmed of having the virus, receives a positive or negative for COVID-19 testing on a viral or an antibody test, they still should take preventive measures – self-isolation - to protect themself and others.

WHY? The test result only means the person tested did not have COVID-19 at the moment of that testing. The person might test negative if the sample was collected early during infection, and could potentially test positive later during the illness.

That is why the mandatory ISHD 10-day stay-at-home protocol has to be followed.

WHY IS IT ONLY 10-DAYS?

The protocol rule is actually a student with symptoms must remain out of school for 10-days (actual calendar days) and 72 hours symptom-free from the start of symptoms.

Quarantine time for a student who might have come in contact with a positive individual, according to health officials, may vary for different individuals and households, as well as following the isolation protocols correctly. A positive household member should be isolated from others during recovery, then close contacts should have 14-day isolation. If not done properly, and another person is determined to be positive for COVID-19 the isolation process starts over.

“(Students) should be symptom-free when returning to school after their actual 14-day quarantine,” said Stoelting.

I KNOW MY CHILD IS NOT SICK WITH COVID-19.

Due to COVID-19, the days of allowing students who have underlying medical conditions like allergies, migraines, asthma, and others that have been put on file at the schools because they may miss school or need medication can’t be taken lightly.

“We can no longer assume that a headache, sore throat, cough, and sneezing are allergies or migraines. We must have doctor verification,” said Stoelting, who explains COVID-19 has many of the same symptoms. “This proof only needs to be provided yearly. Students with allergies and asthma should have a plan at school completed by their physician.”

Stoelting said the forms may be obtained from a school nurse.

WHY AREN’T THE SCHOOLS OR THE STATE PAYING FOR THIS TESTING AND DOCTORS VISITS SINCE YOU NEED IT BEFORE A STUDENT CAN RETURN TO SCHOOL?

Students, according to officials, do not need to have a COVID-19 test and they do not need to see a health care provider as long as they do not have a high fever or respiratory distress due to illness.

However, the Indiana State Health Department provides free testing sites to Indiana residents. To sign up for an appointment, log onto www.coronavirus.in.gov/2524.htm.

According to the CDC, there are warning signs to be aware of if a person who tested positive for COVID-19 needs emergency medical attention immediately, including:

Trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or an inability to wake or stay awake, and bluish lips or face. Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility: Notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.

The CDC confirms the virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel (new) coronavirus. It is not the same as other types of coronaviruses that commonly circulate among people and cause mild illness, like the common cold.

That is why health protocols are in place, and parents need to keep their children home for the isolation/quarantine period.

“Students may return after that period without a health care provider’s release providing they are symptom-free. This is done for the safety of all students and to decrease the risk of spreading infectious diseases, including COVID-19,” said Stoelting. “All days a student misses due to COVID-19 are excused and they may complete their classwork online through eLearning.”

On Wednesday, during Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s weekly press conference to update on the response to COVID-19, it was announced a new data portal is expected to become available mid-September that will reflect how the virus is impacting schools throughout the state.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box noted now is the time for people to complete their quarantine or isolation time. People should also avoid going out, to school, school functions, and extracurricular or large events if they have symptoms and are awaiting test results.

“Or, if you are a close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, you need to stay home,” said Box, who said a number of COVID-19 cases recently brought the virus into schools that lead to 100 students in designated as close contacts in one case and an entire football team and dozens of teachers quarantined in others instances. “I can not say this enough: The actions that you take outside of a school are just as important as those you take inside the school building. Please don’t put yourself at risk of being isolated or quarantined. Follow the guidance that we have been sharing for months.”

Box expressed her appreciation of the cooperation of parents, schools and local health departments’ efforts to protect students, and slow the spread of COVID-19 in their communities during the pandemic.

“This is an incredibly challenging time for our educational system. And I know it is chaotic for parents trying to plan whether the child who goes to school in person today might have to switch to virtual learning tomorrow,” said Box. “We’re going to be on this rollercoaster for a while, at least for the foreseeable future. But we can all help make it a smoother ride if we respond to the contact tracers, if we wear our masks, stay home if we are sick, and wait on our test results.”