October 2, 2020: Letter from Superintendent Sylvia Russell

Dear families,

I am writing to provide you with some important updates and to thank you for your support in helping us begin this unique school year in as safe a manner as possible.

We are seeing evidence across our schools that the Daily Health Assessment checklist is being followed, and are deeply grateful for your diligence in assessing your child(ren) before they leave the house and keeping them home if they show signs of possible illness. This daily health assessment is one of the most important health and safety layers we have in our schools.

Revisions to the Daily Health Assessment checklist

The Ministry of Health and the BC Centre for Disease Control have recently modified the checklist as it applies to children, reducing the number of symptoms to only those that are considered key indicators of a COVID-19 infection.

The Ministry of Health has clarified that this change was made because some of the symptoms on the original list had a very low probability by themselves of indicating the presence of COVID-19. We have updated the district Daily Health Assessment checklist to reflect the change, but also understand that additional resources are being prepared to help make the assessment process easier for families. We will provide you with this information and any additional resources as soon as they are available.

Please review the revised Daily Health Assessment checklist carefully. Translations of the checklist are available in several languages below.

Although the Ministry of Health has limited the checklist to only the key indicators of COVID-19 illness, I want to remind you that children who are ill should always stay home to rest and recover – even if their symptoms have a very low probability of indicating a COVID-19 infection.

Thank you for your continued efforts in helping us keep our school communities healthy!

Notification protocols in the event of a COVID-19 exposure

As you know, our province is already seeing some COVID-19 exposures in schools. Because schools are always a reflection of their communities, it is unfortunately understandable that exposures in schools may occur. I wanted to share with you the process that our school district follows if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in a school community.

In the event of a COVID-19 exposure in a school:

• Fraser Health Authority interviews the impacted individual to initiate the contact tracing process.
• Fraser Health determines how the individual was infected and with whom they were in close contact. (Please note: only Fraser Health can determine who is a close contact.)
• Fraser Health determines what steps close contacts should take. This may include self-isolating or self-monitoring for symptoms for 14 days.
• The school district and Fraser Health work together on a communication plan to let staff, students and families know when there is a confirmed case at the school and if it impacts them. (Please note that Fraser Health will connect directly by phone or letter with any individuals who may have been exposed so as to provide further instructions. If you are contacted by Fraser Health, follow their advice carefully.)
• The school district works closely with Fraser Health to determine if there is any risk to other members of the school community, and if any additional steps are required.
• The school district follows all additional guidance the health authority may provide.

 

Fraser Health Authority maintains a list of all current school exposures in the region on its website. Latest guidance and information is also available through the BC CDC website at http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/childcare-schools/schools.

Once again, on behalf of our entire school district, a sincere thank you for all your vigilant efforts in continuing to help us keep our schools and our communities safe.

Sincerely,

Sylvia Russell
Superintendent

 

Daily health check form ENGLISH

Daily health check form PUNJABI
Daily health check form HIDNI
Daily health check form_VIETNAMESE
Daily health check form_TAGALOG
Daily health check form_SPANISH
Daily health check form_KOREAN
Daily health check form_FRENCH
Daily health check form_FARSI
Daily health check form_ARABIC
Daily health check form_TRADITIONAL CHINESE
Daily health check form_SIMPLIFIED CHINESE