As we begin navigating this transition period of moving through the pandemic and regaining some sense of "normalcy". That being said, "normal" going forward is likely to look a tiny bit different than the previously known "normal" because while Covid-19 has consumed much of the attention and focus for the last two years, now that we are moving forward, we are reminded none too gently of the other contagious illnesses we as a community should be trying our best to mitigate the spread of. Paradigm shifts can be tricky, but with all of us working towards the same goal - a healthy school community, I have no doubts we will be successful!
We are very excited to have our test-at-home kits arrive from the state, along with the current guidance on how they should be distributed and used. When a child is sent home for illness, they will be accompanied by a 2-pack Covid testing kit to be administered at home, with an instruction sheet regarding the 24-hour interim between test administrations.
Going forward, we will still be using the current Covid-19 symptom algorithm which has been previously published in Friday Notes. If a child is sent to myself or Mrs. Morrison in my absence for a (one) symptom of illness as found in the Covid-19 algorithm, those being: a fever (100.4 or higher) coughing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, fatigue, muscle/body aches, headache, sore throat, new loss of sense of smell or taste, congestion, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; you will be called to retrieve your student from school.
Within that, you as the parent have the option to request we administer an antigen test on-site while your child waits pick up to give the "Covid clock" a jump-start, leaving you the parent with only one test to administer, 24 hours later at home. If after both tests are negative, but your student is still experiencing symptoms of illness or "just not feeling themselves" you now will have the knowledge that it may not be Covid, but it’s *something* and that will lead you to either obtaining an alternate diagnosis or waiting until symptoms improve before sending the student back to school.
If your student presents with one of the listed symptoms, and it is determined to be consistent with another origin (such as menses, allergies, or other documented conditions), or one that is in keeping with symptom improvement from a previous illness and recovery, then the determination to remain in school will be made on a case-by-case basis, depending principally on whether the symptom impedes your student's ability to participate successfully in class.
We realize this isn't exactly ideal - looking at the potential for a missed day or two each time a student has signs of illness can be frustrating and tricky to navigate sometimes, gone are the days where when we were kids, it was the norm to "just go see if you can make it through the day". That is no longer the case, and will take some getting used to on all of our parts. It takes a village, the saying goes, and it's true on a multitude of levels, including keeping our Bishop Marshall School Village as healthy as it can possibly be every day.
~ Nurse Yates
