Key Principles for Reducing Potential Exposures

The main ways of reducing exposure to the coronavirus and other respiratory pathogens involve:

• Keeping ill persons out of school. Educate students, families and staff to stay home when sick, and use screening methods.
• Physical distancing. Minimize close contact (less than three feet) with other people.
• Hand hygiene. Frequently wash with soap and water, or use alcohol-based hand gel.
• Protective equipment. Use face coverings or shields and other barriers between people.
• Environmental cleaning and disinfection. Prioritize the cleaning of high-touch surfaces.
• Improve indoor ventilation. Open windows when possible.
• Isolation. Isolate sick people and exclude exposed people.
• Low risk spaces. Outdoor spaces are safer than indoor spaces. Consider moving activities outdoors when possible.

Masks are required to be worn by all students and staff while at school and on the bus.  If a student is unable to wear a face mask due to a confirmed health condition, a full face shield will be allowed while in the classroom setting.  A face mask is still required while in the hallways and on the bus.

Masks are recommended by the CDC and Washington State Department of Health as a simple barrier to help prevent respiratory droplets from traveling into the air and onto other people when the person wearing the mask coughs, sneezes, talks, or raises their voice. This is called source control. This recommendation is based on what we know about the role respiratory droplets play in the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, paired with emerging evidence from clinical and laboratory studies that shows masks reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth. COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet), therefore the use of masks is particularly important in settings where people are close to each other or where social distancing is difficult to maintain.

How masks help reduce the spread of COVD-19

If your son or daughter has COVID symptoms, it is important that you call the attendance line and report that you are keeping your child home due to COVID-type symptoms. It is important that you provide this information to the school, as we will need to make contact with you to identify potential close contacts in the instance that you have your son or daughter tested and they do test positive.

When calling, please state your student’s name, your relationship to the student and the reason for their absence.  If your child is ill, please leave a detailed message including symptoms such as fever, nausea, cough, etc.  If your student is exhibiting symptoms which might indicate COVID-19, you can expect a phone call from the school regarding guidelines as to when your student will be able to return to school.

A close contact is defined as an individual within 6 feet of the confirmed case for 15 minutes or had physical contact with a confirmed case; Or household contact of the confirmed case. 

Isolation is defined as separating a sick individual with a contagious disease from people who are not sick (confirmed or probable case).

Quarantine is defined as separating and restricting the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick (contacts). 

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE FLOW CHART

Any student who arrives with symptoms of illness WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO REMAIN AT SCHOOL.  An emergency contact will be asked to come pick up the students and the family will be given directions for when the child may return to school.

If a student becomes ill during the school day, an emergency contact will be asked to come pick up the student and the family will be given directions for when the child may return to school.

Tri County Health Steps to get tested for COVID-19

We know that when students come together, especially in the fall, we see many students present with cold and flu-like symptoms - which also encompass many of the COVID symptoms. Because we are not going to risk the transmission of COVID, students who have any symptoms will be sent home immediately and all parents who have a child in that class will receive a notice via email that a student with COVID symptoms was sent home. This does not mean that we have a positive case, the notification is simply to make you aware and provide you the opportunity to decide if you feel keeping your own son or daughter home is the best course. 

If a student becomes symptomatic in your son/daughter’s classroom or bus route, you will receive this text message and email.  

Text Message: Please check your email with a health update from school.  

Email: Dear Parent/Guardian, 

You are receiving this in an abundance of caution in order to keep you informed.  An individual in your student’s classroom or bus route presented symptoms of illness which fall under COVID health guidelines.  The individual presenting symptoms will remain at home until they are able to safely return to school as advised by Tri-County Health.  Your son/daughter is not excluded from school at this time, but we wanted to make sure you were aware of the situation.  Please know that if a student in our building does test positive for COVID, you will receive the appropriate communication according to guidelines from our local health department.  Please contact our school office with any questions.  Thank you.

If a student is sent home with COVID like symptoms, a school official will identify who the student spent time with, or sat by, and using the close contact criteria, will make a list of potential close contacts.  If, at any point, we receive word that the particular student tested positive, we will review the close contact list and notify parents immediately via email, phone call, and following letter...

Dear Parent or Guardian, 

This letter is to inform you that an individual at your child’s school/childcare center has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

 □ Your child was identified as a close contact of a person who tested positive for COVID-19.

• Within 3ft of the infectious individual for cumulative 15 minutes.

□ If fully vaccinated:

• You do not need to quarantine.
• Recommend testing 3-5 days after exposure.

□ If unvaccinated:

• Stay home for 14 days after your last exposure to the individual with COVID-19 (safest option).
• Monitor for symptoms during quarantine, if symptoms develop, get tested.
• Recommend testing 5-7 days after exposure if asymptomatic.
• Quarantine may be shortened:
  • If asymptomatic for 10 full days, may return to school on day 11 from exposure.
  • If asymptomatic for 7 full days from exposure, and a negative test result is received 48 hours (2 days) before ending quarantine you may return to school on day 8.

Your child needs to quarantine at home for­­­___ days from their last exposure on _____ to the individual who tested positive. Estimated return to school after quarantine would be ______. This date could change if your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, tests positive for COVID-19, or follows one of the strategies to shorten quarantine.

While in quarantine we encourage you to watch for any symptoms of COVID-19. Early identification may limit the risk to other household members. COVID-19 symptoms can include any of the following:

□ Cough	□ Muscle or body aches
□ Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing	□ Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea
□ Fever of 100.4°F or higher or a sense of having a fever	□ Congestion/runny nose
□ Sore throat	□ Unusual fatigue
□ Chills	□ Headache
□ New loss of taste or smell

If your child develops any of these symptoms, please notify his/her school and contact your child’s doctor for evaluation and testing for COVID-19 infection.

Having your child in quarantine does not require any restrictions with other household members unless your child is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or has tested positive for COVID-19. If your child develops symptoms or tests positive, household members should also quarantine and await further instruction from public health.

For more information and additional guidance about your child being exposed: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/COVIDexposed.pdf.

If you have further questions concerning COVID-19 you can consult your healthcare provider, contact the state Call Center 1.800.525.0127 and press #, or contact our office at 509.684.2262. More information can be found on our website at www.netchd.org or at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov.

 

Sincerely,

Sam Artzis, MD Health Officer

Dear Parent or Guardian,

This letter is to inform you that an individual at your childcare center/school has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Your child was identified as a close contact of a person who tested positive for COVID-19, either by physical proximity or another connection at school. Your child needs to quarantine at home for 14 days after their last exposure to the individual who tested positive, which was (date will be filled in by school official) . His/her estimated return to school after quarantine would be (date will be filled in by school official). This date could change if your child develops symptoms of COVID-19 or tests positive for COVID-19.

While in quarantine we encourage you to watch for any symptoms of COVID-19. Early identification may limit the risk to other household members. COVID-19 symptoms can include any of the following:

□  Cough	□  Muscle or body aches
□  Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing	□  Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea
□  Fever of 100.4°F or higher or a sense of having a fever	□  Congestion/runny nose
□  Sore throat	□  Unusual fatigue
□  Chills	□  Headache
□  New loss of taste or smell

If your child develops any of these symptoms, please notify his/her school and contact your child’s doctor for evaluation and testing for COVID-19 infection. Parents often have questions about testing their child after an exposure. Testing is recommended if symptoms are present, but not recommended without symptoms. A negative test does not release a student from quarantine or allow a return to in-person instruction.

If parents want to test their child in the absence of symptoms, we encourage waiting until seven days after exposure. If their child has a negative result; the student will still need to quarantine 14 days from last exposure. This is because it could take up to 14 days for symptoms to appear.

Having your child in quarantine does not require any restrictions with other household members unless your child is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or has tested positive for COVID-19. If your child develops symptoms or tests positive, household members should also quarantine and await further instruction from public health.

For more information and additional guidance about your child being exposed: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/COVIDexposed.pdf.

If you have further questions concerning COVID-19 you can consult your healthcare provider, contact the state Call Center 1.800.525.0127 and press #, or contact our office at 509.684.2262. More information can be found on our website at www.netchd.org or at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov.

 

Sincerely,

Sam Artzis, MD Health Officer

If an individual in your son or daughter's class tests positive for COVID, we will immediately notify students who are identified as a close contact.  All other parents who have a student in the class will receive a text and the following letter notifying you of a positive COVID case within the classroom. 

Dear Parent or Guardian,

This letter is to inform you that an individual in your child’s classroom at (insert school name) has tested positive for COVID-19. Anyone identified as a close contact of the diagnosed individual will receive a separate letter detailing their next steps. Only those who were in close contact with the student who tested positive must quarantine. The class will remain open unless another person in the classroom is diagnosed with COVID-19 and public health identifies the source of that person’s infection as school. (insert school name) will remain open based upon the quarantine of all known close contacts and appropriate building cleaning/disinfection being completed. 

If your child develops symptoms and you seek medical evaluation and/or testing, you can talk with your doctor about getting your child tested based on the potential exposure in the classroom. If you do not have a provider, you can go to this website for current testing options and locations: https://www.netchd.org/covid-19/covid-19-symptoms-and- testing/.While your child was not specifically identified as a close contact of the positive individual, we encourage you to watch for any symptoms of COVID-19 in your child. Those symptoms could include any of the following:

• Cough
• Muscle or body aches
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea
• Fever of 100.4°F or higher or a sense of having a fever
• Congestion/runny nose
• Sore throat
• Unusual fatigue
• Chills
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell

While many of these symptoms can be seen with other conditions such as allergies, we ask that you seek medical evaluation if you identify any of these symptoms. Loss of taste or smell is very specific to COVID-19 and may be described as food tasting bland, rather than not being able to taste. If your child develops any of these symptoms, please notify your child’s school, contact your child’s doctor for evaluation/testing, and keep your child home from school.

Your child does not have any restrictions with other household members unless your child experiences any COVID-19 symptoms or has a positive COVID-19 test. 

Based on this information, you may choose to keep your child home out of an abundance of caution. If you choose to do so, please contact the school so that they can help manage the transition to online instruction for your child.

If you have further questions concerning COVID-19 you can consult your healthcare provider, contact the state Call Center 1.800.525.0127 and press #, or call our office at 509.684.2262. More information can be found on our website at www.netchd.org or at  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov.

Sincerely,

Sam Artzis, MD Health Officer

If an individual in your son or daughter's school tests positive for COVID, we will immediately notify students who are identified as a close contact.  All other parents who have a student in the building will receive a text and the following letter notifying you of a positive COVID case within the building. 

Dear Parent or Guardian,

This letter is to inform you that an individual in (insert school name) has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Anyone identified as a close contact of the positive individual(s) will receive a separate letter detailing their next steps. (Insert school name) will remain open based upon the quarantine of all known close contacts and appropriate building cleaning/disinfection being completed.

While your child was not specifically identified as a close contact of the positive individual, we encourage you to watch for any symptoms of COVID-19 in your child. Those symptoms could include any of the following:

• Cough
• Muscle or body aches
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea
• Fever of 100.4°F or higher or a sense of having a fever
• Congestion/runny nose
• Sore throat
• Unusual fatigue
• Chills
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell

While many of these symptoms can be seen with other conditions such as allergies, we ask that you seek medical evaluation if you identify any of these symptoms. Loss of taste or smell is very specific to COVID-19 and may be described as food tasting bland, rather than not being able to taste. If your child develops any of these symptoms, please notify your child’s school, contact your child’s doctor for evaluation/testing, and keep your child home from school.

You can always talk with your pediatrician about getting your child tested based on your child’s potential exposure; however, unless you were notified that your child was a close contact or in the same classroom as the case in a separate letter, your child’s exposure risk for COVID-19 at their school is low and we do not recommend testing.

Having a case of COVID-19 identified in your child’s school does not require any restrictions with other household members unless your child is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or has a positive COVID-19 test.

Based on this information, you may choose to keep your child home out of an abundance of caution. If you choose to do so, please contact the school so that they can help manage the transition to online instruction for your child.

If you have further questions concerning COVID-19 you can consult your healthcare provider, contact the state Call Center 1.800.525.0127 and press #, or our office at 509.684.2262. More information can be found on our website at  www.netchd.org or at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov.

Sincerely,

Sam Artzis, MD Health Officer

Your child tested positive for COVID-19. Your child should stay home and isolate until:

• At least 10 days since symptom onset AND;
• 24 hours after fever resolves without the use of fever reducing medication AND;
• Symptoms have

If your child does not exhibit symptoms, they should stay home and isolate for 10 days from the date of the positive test. Your child should not participate in any other visits or activities during this time.

COVID-19 symptoms include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Headache
• Congestion
• Sore throat
• Loss of taste and smell
• Body aches
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Some people have no symptoms, or the symptoms are so mild that they don’t notice. Some people experience serious illness. Symptoms can appear anywhere between 2 and 14 days after exposure (the incubation period). The average time after exposure is 5 days.

For more information please visit: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/COVIDcasepositive.pdf

If you have further questions concerning COVID-19 you can consult your healthcare provider, contact the state Call Center 1.800.525.0127 and press #, or contact our office at 509.684.2262. More information can be found on our website at www.netchd.org or at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov.

Sincerely,

Sam Artzis, MD

Health Officer

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FLOW CHART

The decision to close school due to rising COVID cases in our schools or in the community overall will be a decision that is done in collaboration with Tri County Health. All positive COVID cases and close contacts throughout our community and schools are tracked by Tri County Health and they will be working with us on a daily basis.  It is a possibility that at any given time, due to positive cases, we may have to cancel a specific class, school, or go remotely as a district. 

Newport School District would like to make it clear: we are fully supportive of the decisions families need to make. If you are not comfortable with your child returning to onsite learning at this time, please contact your building principal to discuss the Grizzly Remote Connect option, as well as any other concerns you may have.