Habersham County School officials are not taking any chances in regards to the new coronavirus scare.
The school system put a plan in place this week to keep parents, staff and students educated and informed about COVID-19, the new strain of coronavirus that has killed thousands of people overseas and is just recently showing up in the United States.
“The Habersham County School System has the responsibility of protecting the health and safety of the district’s staff, students and their families,” Superintendent Matthew Cooper said. “This document was developed using information from the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, the Georgia Department of Public Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, along with various local agencies in Habersham County.”
Rumors traveled on social media this week that Habersham County had multiple staff members quarantined in the wake of the worldwide health crisis, but Cooper said that there is one staff member from South Habersham Middle School who is self-quarantining after returning from a trip to France, which is not one of the CDC’s flagged high-risk countries.
“We do not have any students or staff in quarantine in the Habersham County School System. To our knowledge, we do not have any students or staff who have been tested for coronavirus,” Cooper said. “We have no reason to believe that the staff member has the coronavirus or that any students are at risk. We chose to take this action out of an abundance of caution and to alleviate any concerns parents would have. The principal has personally contacted the parents of the students with whom this staff member works.”
In the system action plan, Habersham schools will require any student or staff member who has recently been out of the country to self-monitor at home for a minimum of 14 days.
“Ordinary practice in other school systems seems to be to only flag those who have visited high-risk countries as determined by the CDC,” Cooper said. “However, in Habersham County, we want to be extraordinary when it comes to keeping our students, staff, and community safe. Therefore, we have decided that anyone who travels outside the U.S. is at risk because of close quarters with people who are in airports, airplanes, cruise ships, etc.”
The Habersham County Schools Coronavirus Plan was developed around three primary areas: prevention, communication and response.
For prevention, school officials will closely monitor any exhibited symptoms, along with teaching children to wash their hands frequently, cover their mouths when they cough and avoid personal contact such as handshaking, fist bumping and hugging.
On response, staff members and students who have traveled out of the country must self-monitor at home for a minimum of 14 days and be symptom free before returning to work. Children of these staff members who attend Habersham County Schools must also self-monitor at home for a minimum of 14 days. The period is 21 days for anyone who travels to a CDC high-risk area.
Students newly enrolling to Habersham County Schools and who have come from a high-risk area, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control, will be required to delay returning to school for 30 days.
School officials also have made preliminary plans for students to learn from home if needed.
To read Habersham Schools’ entire coronavirus plan, go online to thenortheastgeorgian.com.
Piedmont College has cancelled study away trips to Italy, Spain, Ireland, Germany, and the Czech Republic that were scheduled for May due to concerns about the coronavirus, school officials announced Monday.
The decision impacts approximately 75 students and staff.
The college has also appointed a task force to monitor the spread of the virus and listen closely to the advice and directives coming from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Georgia Department of Public Health and others.
“While the threat to our community is low, the situation continues to evolve daily,” said Piedmont President James F. Mellichamp. “Our top priority will always be the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff.”
HABERSHAM SCHOOLS CORONAVIRUS PLAN
Prevention
• Develop and monitor protocols for virus prevention;
• Institute handwashing breaks throughout the school day, specifically before breakfast and lunch times;
• Teach 20 second hand washing time through demonstration;
• Display posters in predominate areas in all restrooms;
• Teach students to cover coughs/sneezes, avoid touching face;
• Avoid personal contact such as handshaking, fist bumping, hugging;
• Increase disinfection of all surfaces, especially high contact areas such as door handles, desk tops, and other high traffic areas;
• Use of electrostatic disinfectant sprayers on a daily basis. Our school system has the most advanced technology available for disinfecting surfaces.
Screenings of students
• Increase monitoring of students – nurses will work with school staff to look for symptoms on a continuing basis – cough or other lower respiratory symptoms, fever over 99 degrees.
Education
• Provide fact sheet/system plan to parents, students, and staff in English and Spanish;
• One Call or other verbal communication to parents from principals indicating school is sending home information (English and Spanish);
• Principals will use daily announcements/assemblies/meetings with students to reinforce prevention strategies;
Communication
• Send home System Coronavirus (COVID-19) Fact Sheet/Habersham County Schools System Plan to parents, students and staff;
• Update www.habershamschools.com website on a regular basis with the latest information regarding System Coronavirus (COVID-19) and other important school information;
• Establish lines of communication with local and state agencies;
• Face-to-face meeting with Habersham County Health Department;
• Contact other outside agencies and set up face-to-face meetings;
• Emergency Management System, Emergency Management Agency, Habersham County Hospital, Habersham County Health Department, Georgia Emergency Management Agency, Habersham County Sheriff’s Department;
• Develop a Learning from Home Plan;
• If school closing becomes necessary, institute Learning from Home Plan.
Response
Protocols for Habersham County Schools Staff
• Staff members who have traveled out of the country must self-monitor at home for a minimum of 14 days and be symptom free before returning to work. Children of these staff members who attend Habersham County Schools must also self-monitor at home for a minimum of 14 days.
• Staff who have traveled from a high-risk area, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control must self-monitor at home for a minimum of 21 days and be symptom free before returning to work.
• Staff who are living with or have been in direct contact with someone who has traveled from high risk area, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control, must self-monitor at home for a minimum of 14 days and be symptom free before returning to work.
Protocols for current Habersham County Schools students
• Current students who have returned from a high-risk area, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control, will be required to delay returning to school for a minimum of 21 days from the date re-entering the U.S. and be cleared by a physician. Learning from Home opportunities will be provided to the student.
• Current students who have returned from travel outside of the U.S. will be required to delay returning to school for a minimum of 14 days from the date of re-entering the U.S. and be symptom free. Learning from Home opportunities will be provided to the student.
• Current students who are living with or have been in direct contact with someone who has traveled from a high-risk area, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control, will be required to delay returning to school for a minimum of 14 days from the date of re-entering the U.S. and be symptom free. Learning from Home opportunities will be provided to the student.
Protocols for new enrolling students
• Students newly enrolling to Habersham County Schools and who have come from a high-risk area, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control, will be required to delay returning to school for 30 days.
• Students newly enrolling to Habersham County Schools and who have come from outside the U.S. will be required to delay starting school for a minimum of 14 days.
School Closures
The Habersham County School System will consult with local and state health agencies for guidance regarding the need to close schools.