Reopening Update Related to Quarantining, Symptoms, and Confirmed Cases

August 28, 2020

Dear Families,

As we prepare for the reopening schools, I find it prudent to explain some possible scenarios the District might be faced with regarding the pandemic. As you know, we are closely following the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Education’s (DOE) guidelines for responding to confirmed COVID-19 cases, contact tracing, and potentially closing schools. Families can expect phone calls, text messages, and email alerts if schools are forced to close. Our actions will be dictated by the advice, guidance, and direction of the Department of Health. Please take a moment to make sure your contact information in PowerSchool is up to date and accurate.

All school districts are required to create a Health and Safety Plan — a guidebook for safe school operations in the age of COVID-19. Click here to visit the portion of our website containing the plan and other related reopening information. Part of our plan includes developing a plan for notifying families of reported positive cases and school closures.

Indiana Area School District will notify the Department of Health if a positive case is reported and follow their recommendations. Then, we will communicate with families the appropriate next steps. Some pieces of information, like the identity of the infected person, cannot be made public to families because it violates privacy rules outlined in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The Department of Health’s process of notifying parents of positive cases will most likely be generalized to protect the rights of individuals.

The most important thing our families can do to prevent an outbreak from occurring is to monitor their children before dropping them off at school. If your child is feeling sick, please keep that child at home. I encourage you to reach out to our incredible IASD school health services staff should you need guidance working through the symptoms or any questions you may have. The school nurses are here to help keep everyone safe, and would be happy to help in any way they can.

What if there’s a symptomatic person at school?

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) created a flowchart for schools if a student or staff member has symptoms while physically at school.

If the symptoms are consistent with COVID-19, the flowchart recommends that the individual is isolated and sent home with a referral for a coronavirus test.

If the test comes back positive, the DOH will contact the individual or their parent, as well as the school, for further guidance. That typically includes isolating the individual, conducting contact tracing, and working with the school on the next steps.

If the symptoms are not consistent with COVID-19, the DOH recommends following normal school district protocol. DOH will be notified of positive cases reported. It is not necessary to report symptoms to DOH.

What if there are confirmed COVID cases at a school?

PDE created a matrix for schools to follow in the event of a confirmed case on one of their school campuses. The DOH will conduct contact tracing and provide guidance on the next steps for school districts. The matrix compares the rate of community spread with the number of confirmed cases in a school district.

“It is important to note that a significant and/or widespread outbreak may require moving to a more remote-based instructional model more quickly,” according to the PDE website. “DOH will provide proactive consultative assistance to school entities should such an outbreak occur.”

Here are the top takeaways according to the Department of Health:

If the rate of community transmission is low and more than five individuals or more than 5% of people in a given school building test COVID positive, it’s recommended schools close for 14 days for cleaning.
If community transmission is moderate, DOH recommends schools close for 5-7 days for cleaning if there are 2-4 students who are COVID positive.
If community transmission is substantial, those standards are much more strict. If one person tests positive, schools are recommended to move to a fully remote instructional model.

Here’s the full decision matrix:

Level of Community Transmission in the County	One person in 14 days	2-4 people within 14 days	5+ people within 14 days
Low	The school does not need to close. They would clean area(s) where the infected individual spent time, and public health staff will direct close contacts to quarantine.	Close school(s) for 3-5 days and clean area(s) where the individual spent time. Public health staff will direct close contacts to quarantine.	Close school(s) for 14 days and clean the entire school(s). Public health staff will direct close contacts to quarantine.
Moderate	School does not need to close. Schools would clean area(s) where case spent time and public health staff will direct close contacts to quarantine.	Close school(s) for 5-7 days and clean area(s) where cases spent time. Public health staff will direct close contacts to quarantine.	Close school(s) for 14 days and clean entire school(s). Public health staff will direct close contacts to quarantine.
Substantial	DOH and PDE recommend a Full Remote Learning Model for all schools in counties with substantial level of community transmission	DOH and PDE recommend a Full Remote Learning Model for all schools in counties with substantial level of community transmission	DOH and PDE recommend a Full Remote Learning Model for all schools in counties with substantial level of community transmission

In closing, we are anxiously awaiting our students’ return to school. We are all in this together. Please follow all of the guidelines set forth by the DOH, and encourage your students to do the same, as our ability to open and stay open is dependent on the level of community spread. Take care and stay safe. My hope is that we never have to implement any of this, but I wanted to make you aware of the possible actions the District may be forced to take by the Department of Health in response to an outbreak.

Sincerely,

Mr. Michael J. Vuckovich

Superintendent of Schools