Important Information
Published on Nov 13, 2020 15:58
November 13, 2020
Dear Millis parents, caregivers, and guardians,
I
am writing to inform you that a person in our school community has
tested positive for COVID-19. Our first responsibility is to keep our
students and staff safe. We have been planning for this scenario during
our reopening planning process and have a comprehensive plan in place to
inform families whose students were at risk of exposure or in close
contact, sanitize the school if need be, and support the affected family
as they navigate this stressful experience.
These
procedures are to initiate contact tracing to identify any individual
who may have been in direct contact. CDC guidelines define direct
exposure as being in contact with six feet or less for longer than 15
minutes. If you did not receive a phone call from the
school prior to this email, it was determined that neither you nor your
child had close contact with this individual, and no further action is
needed at this time. The school district works closely with the Millis
Board of Health to determine who is considered a close contact of the
person who tested positive. We cannot provide specific information about
our school community member who tested positive due to confidentiality
requirements.
Parents
of students who were in close contact with the school community member
have been notified privately. All close contacts should be tested but must self-quarantine for 14 days after the last exposure to the person who tested positive, regardless of their own test result. We
are also following all Department of Health protocols, including
collaborating with our local board of health to complete contact
tracing. Additionally, we are asking those parents whose students are
tested for COVID-19 to please report the results to the school nurse. We
are working hard to reduce the impact of the virus on our school
community and this information is a critical piece of that.
Our
student body and staff have been closely adhering to the safety
protocols including mask wearing, hand washing, and physical distancing
in school and during team sports. Due to the adherence to protocols,
further transmission is unlikely. We are grateful to our families for
their continued efforts to keep students home at the first sign of
symptoms. These measures, taken in combination, greatly reduce the risk
of additional transmission.
To
further prevent transmission of the virus to other staff and students,
we have sanitized the school with a focus on those areas frequented by
the staff member or student who tested positive. We will continue to be
vigilant in adhering to all of the protocols that have been put in
place.
For more information on COVID-19 symptoms and testing, visit: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/about-covid-19-testing#where-can-get-a-test?-.
You can also find a map of testing sites at https://memamaps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=eba3f0395451430b9f631cb095febf13.
Parents must continue to monitor their children’s health and watch for
symptoms. Please contact us immediately should you or someone in your
home begin to show symptoms.
We are committed to continuous communication with and support of our families. If
you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact the
school nurse. We are committed to maintaining transparency within our
community and if there is additional transmission as a result of this
case or a separate case, we will send out another message immediately.
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Nancy L. Gustafson
Positive COVID-19 Case- Letter to Families
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