March 4, 2022
Dear Parent(s) / Guardian(s),
The transition from wearing masks to optional mask wearing is going well. Along with this come some changes in our procedures to protect the health and safety of our staff and students.
The schools will remain vulnerable to outbreaks and we are operating under the guide that everyone is a close contact. You may or may not hear from our nurses about a positive case in the classroom that could affect your child.
Five (5) students and one (1) staff member associated with RSU 19 tested positive this past week for COVID-19. Please keep your children home if they are sick, regardless of whether or not it is Covid related!
Students that are Covid 19 positive are to remain home for a minimum of 5 days or until they no longer have symptoms. We highly recommend (CDC requirement) that a mask be worn for the first five days upon returning to school (if return is on day 6 from onset) and that your child is monitored for any returning symptoms.
If there is a positive case within your household, we recommend and will offer testing of your child on day 5. We will also voluntarily test on day 1 and 3, as a layer of safety for our schools.
Please monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, which can include:
· fever or chills - headache
· cough - new loss of taste or smell
· shortness of breath or difficulty - sore throat
breathing - congestion or runny nose
· fatigue - nausea or vomiting
· muscle or body aches - diarrhea
If students tease, make fun of, or harass others who choose to wear masks, they will be handled per our regular discipline and bullying policies for students.
We are now mask optional and will no longer have a Sunday night notification. Thank you for your patience as we all work together on our way back to normalcy.
Sincerely,
Mike Hammer
Superintendent of Schools