HERO Happenings: COVID Safety
Verrado Heritage Elementary School
Verrado Heritage Elementary School 8:15am - 3:15pm
Student Advisor Krissy Carberry
Behavior Coach Trina Weniger
Instructional Coach Michelle Steik
Email: noce@lesd.k12.az.us
Website: https://vhe.lesd79.org/
Location: 20895 West Hamilton Street, Buckeye, AZ, USA
Phone: (623)547-3300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VHESHEROES
Health Safety:
As we see a rise in COVID-19 cases in our area, we recommend students wear a mask to school. This is not a mandate, but a recommendation. Our goal is to provide a safe environment for our students and staff.
Classrooms
- Students are co-horted or grouped together with the same students throughout the school day as much as possible, this includes the cafe.
- Touch points are disinfected in the classroom throughout the day.
Signs and Messages
Hand washing signs in all school bathrooms, to promote proper hand washing by students.
Daily Health Screenings and Temperature Checks
A staff member will visually check each student upon arrival.
Any student with visible symptoms of runny nose, cough, shortness of breath or vomiting will be taken to the health office immediately, where parents may be contacted for pick up, with the following exceptions:
If the student has a runny nose and no other symptoms, the nurse/health aide will contact a parent to determine if other symptoms are present or if there is exposure to COVID-19 in the home. If not, the student may return to class.
If the student has health information that confirms a diagnosis of asthma or other respiratory condition, the nurse/health aide will contact a parent to confirm that the student has no other symptoms or exposure to COVID-19 at home. If not, the student may return to class.
School Health Centers will be set up to maintain physical distancing as much as possible.
The school nurse will encourage staff to only send students who appear ill to the Health Office. To encourage this practice each teacher will receive a basic First Aid bag to keep in their room for minor cuts, scrapes, etc.
If a student is determined by the school nurse to be possibly contagious, parents/guardians are expected to pick up their student in a timely manner once contacted by the school nurse.
Students who are determined to have certain symptoms listed below may be isolated to contain exposure.
If a student is isolated, the school nurse or a trained employee will stay with the student until they are picked up by the parent/guardian.
Parents/guardians are expected to follow guidelines given to them by the school nurse once the student is picked up.
If a student tests positive for COVID-19 after being at school, and the school nurse receives a confirmed diagnosis from a doctor or health agency, the school nurse will send out a non-identifying letter to all those who were in close contact with the student.
Parents/guardians with a COVID-19 positive student will be informed by the school nurse that a report will be sent to the Maricopa County Health Department.
All staff and students who are diagnosed with COVID-19, have symptoms or think they have been exposed, will be cataloged to contain and keep track of trends. Only the school nurse and school principal will have access to this information.
At Home
This is the first point on the screening continuum. Students and staff must not come to school if exhibiting ANY of the following symptoms:
fever of 100.4 degrees or higher
chills
shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
muscle aches
sore throat
headache
fatigue or lethargy
congestion or runny nose
Red, itchy eyes with drainage
cough
vomiting
diarrhea
new loss of taste, smell or appetite
By choosing In-Person enrollment, families will agree to follow the student screening expectations for the above symptoms each morning, to self-report symptoms to the school, and keep students at home if any symptoms are present. Families are to be informed with registration documents, online registration pages, individual school and district websites, school-wide phone calls, and email reminders of the expectation to screen students at home. Students will have the opportunity to make-up work missed due to symptoms of COVID-19.
Attached you will find four flyers from the Maricopa County Health Department that have valuable information:
- If your child is feeling ill, do not bring them to school.
- If someone in your household is getting tested for COVID, please do not bring any children to school until the tests confirm a negative result.
- If someone in your household is positive for COVID your student must isolate right away.
- Please let your child's teacher and our school nurse know right away!
You are welcome to contact me or our school nurse if you have any questions.
Nurse Jenny Cogar
623-547-3318
What to expect if a student tests positive in my child's class?
There are two types of notification that will be sent home: Close Contact and In-Direct Contact. It will depend on how close your child was to the positive student.
Close Contact
This exposure does not mean that your child has COVID-19 or will necessarily get COVID-19.
Now, the COVID-19 strain spreading in Maricopa County is the Delta variant, which is twice as contagious as other strains of COVID-19, especially if a person is not vaccinated. There is also some evidence that the Delta variant may cause more severe illness, particularly in younger people.
Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), and MCDPH, close contacts are people who were within 6 feet of a person with COVID-19 while infectious for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, regardless of whether masks were worn. [Exception: In the K-12 setting, a student who was within 3-6 feet of an infected student is not considered a close contact if both students were engaged in consistent and correct use of well-fitting masks at all times. This exception does not apply to teachers, staff or other adults in the classroom setting.]
If your child is at school and we are sending home close contact students, you can expect a phone call from the Nurse or from Principal Noce or Administrative Designee to come pick your child up within the hour. You will receive a close contact notification letter with further information detailing quarantining and returning to school.
In-Direct Contact
This exposure does not mean that your child has COVID-19 or will necessarily get COVID-19.
If your child comes home with an in-direct contact letter, this means there was a positive case identified within your child's classroom. However, your child was not within 6 feet of the student who was positive for more than 15 minutes over a 24 hour period. You do not have to follow the quarantine guidelines with your child, however, it is your choice if you would like to keep your child home.
What about work missed?
The classroom teacher will be in touch with you regarding work missed. There will be an opportunity for the student to hop online to touch base with their teacher during their absence. Work will be available to pick up from the teacher. Arrangements will be made with you and your child's teacher.
When can my child come back to school?
Close Contact: All of this information will be outlined within your close contact notification.
Positive Case: If your child is positive and you have informed the Nurse, she will let you know when your child can return to school.