Students who become ill at school with symptoms of COVID-19

• Those students will be triaged by the school nurse.
• The school nurse will follow the Fever/Symptoms Protocol Flowsheet including the return to school protocol.
• The student will be escorted by the school nurse/staff to a dedicated area being called a containment or isolation room. 
• The student will be given a face mask, if not already wearing a face covering.
• The parent/guardian will be contacted and notified that their child is ill and will need to be picked up from school.
• The school nurse will refer the parent/guardian to the child's pediatrician/guardian for further direction and guidance.
• The student will be kept socially distanced, 6 feet apart from any other student/staff and a privacy screen or movable barrier will be used to ensure privacy.
• The student will be monitored by a staff person, ideally the school nurse, while in the containment (isolation room).
• The staff person/school nurse, will wear appropriate PPE, which will consist of a face mask/N-95 mask, face shield or goggles, gloves, gown and booties to cover shoes while monitoring students in the containment (isolation) room.

Staff who become ill during the day with symptoms of COVID-19

• The Fever/Symptom Flowsheet is appropriate for use by the school nurse for employees in determining when to release an individual based on an assessment of possible COVID-19 illness.
• Their return to work process, however, is more appropriately managed by the Department of Human Resources since Federal and State regulations play a role in employee matters.
  
  

Testing

Monroe One BOCES has five basic responsibilities in the management of COVID-19 for students and staff leading toward testing:

1.    Surveillance

2.    Recognition and assessment

3.    Isolation and containment

4.    Notification

5.    Referral for testing

The school nurse will advise all individuals or parents/guardians that anyone dismissed for presumed or suspected COVID-19 must be in contact that same day by phone or in-person with their private physician or other health care provider.

• They will be advised to describe the symptoms that were consistent with COVID-19.
• The school nurse will advise that the district recommends COVID-19 testing per the NYS Department of Health guidelines for persons who have symptoms of COVID-19.
• They will be advised that they cannot return to school without symptom-based criteria clearance from their physician or other health care provider and COVID-19 test results.
• The nurse will provide written guidelines from the CDC on what to do if you are ill with COVID-19.
• They will also be advised that a letter will be sent notifying the school community that a positive case, not identifying them as the index case, has been confirmed in the building.
• For all confirmed cases of COVID-19, the Health Department will take the lead on isolation/quarantine and then removing restrictions.
• The Health Department will perform a thorough investigation including contact tracing with cooperation from the school.
• All relevant parties will be notified appropriately by the school or through contact tracing by the Health Department. 
• The Health Department will notify the community of a positive case. 
• The Health Department will also provide recommendations to the District regarding action plans in response to a COVID-19 positive case.
• Isolation and quarantine help protect the public by preventing exposure to people who may have a contagious disease. 
  
  

CONTRACT TRACING

• Attendance is taken in the classroom by the teacher and the list of absences is sent to the main office.
• The main office staff will notify the school nurse of reported cases of positive COVID-19. The nurse will notify the local public health department of positive confirmed cases, as required by law.
• Confidentiality is always maintained by the school health office for all medical matters, except as required for a reportable disease to the public health department.
• The school nurse, as a medical professional and the attendance officer or health office staff assisting with attendance as Monroe One employees, shall not redisclose that medically confidential information to others.
• The nurse will notify the public health department and the school physician if there is a detected uptick in cases or clusters of illness of more than 10% of the student body or staff showing signs of the same illness even if testing COVID-19 negative.
• The Health Department will perform a thorough investigation including contact tracing with cooperation from the school.
  • All relevant parties will be notified appropriately by the school or through contact tracing by the Health Department.
  • The Health Department will notify the community of a positive case.
  • The Health Department will also provide recommendations to the district regarding action plans in response to a COVID-19 positive case.

Additional information can be found in the reopening plan.