A Letter From Dr. Carey
A Letter From Dr. Carey Jan 7, 2022
Dear Enumclaw School District Community,
Welcome Back from Winter Break
The return from Winter Break has surely been an eventful one. Thank you for your support and communication this week during challenging weather conditions and forecasts as we worked to ensure safe conditions for our students and staff. In addition to weather, school districts across the nation have also continued to experience website outages. Our website vendor is close to having our website fully restored and we appreciate your patience. For more information regarding the outages see below. We have received inquiries regarding the ESD COVID Dashboard, the page has been restored and you should be able to access that information on our website. Despite all of that, I am super excited to have students back in our buildings and happy to begin the new year together.
The King County DOH recently adopted the CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, this guidance is now also being implemented for K-12 Schools. As a result, the Enumclaw School District will implement the following changes beginning Monday. The new guidance will also be applied to any individual currently in quarantine/isolation.
I would like to highlight the most significant changes to the guidance for our students in K-12 schools, however, please make sure you review the full guidance below. We will update our website with an updated DOH Symptom Decision Tree once it is received.
For unvaccinated students who are identified as a close contact, quarantine is reduced from 10 days to 5 days. (Vaccinated students are still not required to quarantine if identified as a close contact- No change)
The isolation period for all students/staff who test positive for COVID-19 has been reduced to at least 5 days (previously 10 days). Please see the detailed King County DOH information below regarding symptoms.
From King County Department of Health:
Isolation and Quarantine Guidance for K-12 Schools
On January 4, 2022, the CDC recommended applying updated isolation and quarantine recommendations to K-12 settings. Public Health - Seattle & King County is adopting these recommendations. Further details will be coming soon. In the meantime, King County schools can begin applying the following recommendations immediately:
Students, teachers, and staff who come into close contact with someone with COVID-19 need to quarantine for at least 5 days after their last close contact if they are in any one of the following groups:
Ages 18 or older and completed the primary series of recommended vaccine, but have not received a recommended booster shot when eligible.
They received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine (completing the primary series) over 2 months ago and have not received a recommended booster shot.
They are not vaccinated or have not completed a primary vaccine series.
Students, teachers, and staff who come into close contact with someone with COVID-19 do not need to quarantine if they are in any one of the following groups:
Ages 18 or older and have received all recommended vaccine doses, including boosters and additional primary shots for some immunocompromised people.
Ages 5-17 years and completed the primary series of COVID-19 vaccines.
Had confirmed COVID-19 within the last 90 days.
All people with COVID-19 (with or without symptoms) need to isolate for at least 5 days.
For students, teachers, and staff who test positive for COVID-19 and never develop symptoms:
Isolate for at least 5 days. Day 0 is the day of the positive COVID-19 test and day 1 is the first full day after the specimen was collected for the positive test.
If they continue to have no symptoms, they can end isolation after at least 5 days, but must continue to wear a mask for an additional 5 days. This applies to anyone with COVID-19, regardless of their vaccination status.
If they develop symptoms after testing positive, the 5-day isolation period should start over. Day 0 is the first day of symptoms.
For students teachers and staff who have COVID-19 and have or had symptoms:
They can end isolation after 5 days if they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and other symptoms have improved.
If the person meets these criteria, they can return to school after 5 days of isolation, but must continue to wear a mask for an additional 5 days. This applies to anyone with COVID-19, regardless of their vaccination status.
If they continue to have a fever or other symptoms have not improved after 5 days of isolation, they should wait to end isolation until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and other symptoms have improved.
For additional information on the updated Quarantine and Isolation guidance, please visit the CDC FAQ.
Shaun
Website Outages
Our website host and provider, Finalsite, is currently experiencing an outage due to disruption of certain computer systems on its network which has impacted thousands of schools worldwide. At this time, our website is back online with admin access being restored shortly .
We understand the importance of our website for sharing critical information and appreciate your patience and understanding.
We've been in communication with Finalsite regarding the issue and they have shared there is no evidence that any data has been compromised as a result of this incident. They are continuing with a thorough investigation with a third-party forensic specialist and will keep us informed as it progresses.
School-related data stored within the Finalsite platform only includes demographic information like full names and email addresses. Again, there is no evidence any of this was compromised. Please note Finalsite data does NOT include payment, health, academic or social security-related documents.
Finalsite has assured us that integrity, safety, and security of its network and the information held in its care is its top priority, and they are taking immediate steps to ensure this type of incident does not occur again.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Thank You From The Enumclaw School District!
The Enumclaw School District would like to share our sincere appreciation for each of you, our families, and the communities of Enumclaw and Black Diamond. Please take a moment to view the messages by clicking on the photo or link below:
#esdkindness #Bethe"I"inKIND
Educational Programs & Operations Levy 2022- Did you know?
Levy renewals continue funding for Enumclaw School District programs and services that benefit students.
The Educational Programs & Operations Levy provides funding for counselors, psychologists and vital mental health services for ESD students.
"We try to do everything we can to support kids, to make sure their mental well-being is in a good space and they are getting what they need out of school.
Those of us who get into education, do so because we love students and we do everything in our power to support them and make sure they have every opportunity available to them to be successful members of whatever community they decide to join after high school"
- Kami Johnson EHS School Counselor
Frequently Asked Question- Is school on-time today?
Our goal for determining a school delay or closure status is typically no later than 5:30 AM with communication to our families occurring by 6:00 AM. If you do not receive any of the following, it means schools are running on regular schedules.
http://flashalert.net: You can go to this website and sign up to have any school delay or closure alert come to your email address. You will receive this information as soon as we officially push the button on the computer.
We will place the delay or closure announcement on our district website and our Facebook page. If our district is running emergency bus routes, you can find this information on our website and Facebook as well.
Each family will receive a phone call via our School Messenger around 5:30/6:00 AM if a decision has been reached regarding a delay or school closure. As mentioned earlier, sometimes the weather conditions shift after 6:00 AM and therefore a decision will be made at the earliest time possible
For more information on winter weather decisions and announcements please visit our website
Enumclaw School District is hiring!
Current openings include Substitutes, Drivers and Custodians.
For more information on current openings or to submit an online application, please visit our website:
Voluntary COVID Testing Opportunities
The Voluntary PCR COVID Testing Program Has Returned for All Enumclaw School District Staff
In collaboration with the state Department of Health, our school district will continue to participate in a state-funded program for voluntary COVID-19 screening and testing that will help contain the virus, protect our communities, and keep students and teachers healthy and safe.
This testing protocol fits into our larger strategy to contain and control the virus. We have adapted our operational practices to allow for proper countermeasures. Each precaution we take is an added layer of protection, and when used together, dramatically decreases the risk.
Testing Opportunities for Students and Families
The King County COVID testing site located next to EMS will remain open and will continue to provide access to PCR COVID testing for students and the community. For additional information on the testing site or to make an appointment please visit the link below.