COVID Protocols July 27, 2021
As we open school tomorrow, we need to remind families of our current COVID Protocols. We all must follow these guidelines for the health of all our students, staff, and families. Our student population has so many siblings; COVID contact will affect many different classrooms across our campus. We are all experiencing COVID fatigue and hope that this will just all end soon. Every day, reality keeps hitting us in the face. In speaking with DHHS today, the COVID numbers in the five counties we service have doubled in the past week. We have students and families who have already reached out to us about their exposures in the community. A school that recently opened in the area is facing a HUGE quarantine already. So, this is very REAL, and we need to be very serious about helping, supporting, and protecting each other.
We have received new guidance procedures as outlined in the NC Toolkit. Our protocols as of today are attached to this email.
Daily:
Before you leave home, do a symptom check. If you answer yes to any of the symptoms listed below – STAY home and reach out to the school. Please contact your child's teacher, HOUSE admin, and Mrs. Dove (sdove@eastwakeacademy.org). Mrs. Dove is our point person and will walk you through the following steps.
At school: The protocols no longer require temperature checks, and families have already completed them at home before coming to campus.
Symptom Check:
· Fever (temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher)
· Sore throat
· Cough (for people with chronic cough due to allergies or asthma, a change in their cough from baseline)
· Difficulty Breathing (for people with asthma, a change from their baseline breathing)
· New loss of taste or smell
· Diarrhea or vomiting
· New onset of severe headache, especially with a fever
We will continue to stress hand washing, face coverings, and other safety measures in the classroom. We will spray each classroom daily after school. Our goal is to layer as many mitigation measures as possible.
Face Coverings (masks): Masks are required to be worn and worn correctly for all students, staff, and visitors. (Cover both the nose and the mouth) This mandate ends at 5:00 pm Friday, July 30. Gaiters are not allowed and do not meet the mask requirement.
When we return to school on Monday, August 2, 2021, the implementation of the new mask mandate will be in effect:
· All K- 8 students must wear a mask while indoors
· All 9-12 students: masks are optional (while indoors)– BUT highly recommended. Wearing a mask for yourself and others will help reduce the spread of COVID and your possible time in quarantine if exposed
· All unvaccinated teachers must wear a mask, and all other staff is highly recommended and encouraged to wear a mask indoors.
· All visitors must wear a mask indoors.
· Masks are not required to be worn outdoors.
The East Wake Academy community is in this together. Open and honest two-way communication is vital to help reduce exposure and the possibility of bringing COVID into the school setting from the community. We will have cases on campus, and we will address them when they occur and work closely with families as we navigate the new "normal." The COVID global health issue is bigger than any one individual, one family, or group. We all must work together and be all in for the support and health of each other.