McCord Covid Updates
January 24 - January 30, 2022
COVID-19 Notification Message from McCord Middle School
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Worthington Schools has made every attempt to keep our students, families, and community aware of how the virus was impacting our schools. Our dashboard continues to be updated each weekday to display cases and quarantines throughout the district. In addition to this tool, our health office professionals identify positive cases, close contacts and symptomatic students. When this occurs, they continue to contact families and apply the updated guidance from Columbus Public Health.
Until recently, our administrators and health office personnel have also been using the student case data to individually track school and bus schedules and send emails to families that may have been near a COVID case. With the significant increase in cases in our schools, we are creating a more efficient process than sending a large number of individual emails to families. Starting this week, we will provide McCord families a COVID report from our building with relevant information and trends from the week in our Friday newsletter. We are hopeful that this update and our other communication strategies will meet the needs of our school community in this stage of our experience with COVID.
Our schools continue to promote mitigating strategies to slow the spread of COVID-19. We clean areas known to have positive cases, we provide disinfecting wipes in all classrooms and common areas, and we promote social distancing and masks each day. Students are reminded to wear the masks properly (over the nose, mouth, and chin), as well.
New Student and Staff Cases This Week
- 16 Students & 2 Staff Members
Current Quarantines Students & Staff
- 16 Students & 0 Staff Members
Cleaning & Mask Protocols
As COVID continues to create challenges, the Worthington School district is committed to adapting our plans in order to do our best to both keep students safe and learning in person in school.
With that in mind, the Worthington Board of Education has voted to require universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, parents, and visitors inside school properties, regardless of vaccination status. This simply means that inside any of our school properties during the school day, before or after school, everyone should be wearing a mask. (Similar to last year, athletes will not be asked to compete in a mask in indoor sports.)
Our protocols include:
- Physical distancing: Physical distancing will be recommended whenever possible.
Handwashing: Handwashing will be emphasized throughout the school day. Hand sanitizers will be placed throughout the buildings and students will be encouraged to sanitize their hands when entering and again when leaving a classroom. Cough and sneeze etiquette will be taught, monitored, and reinforced.
Facilities: District cleaning protocols will continue with COVID-developed enhanced routines. Ventilation systems all have a MERV rating of 6-10.
Contact tracing: Contact tracing will occur based upon CPH guidance for all highly infectious diseases. District nurses have all been trained in this process.
Diagnostic and screening testing: Worthington City Schools will continue to have testing and screening supplies at nursing clinics. The district will strategically utilize test kits for COVID concerns in order to keep students safely in school as much as possible.
Vaccinations: The district will continue to encourage faculty, staff, and students to be vaccinated. The district is willing to serve as a host site as vaccinations are available.
Accommodations for children with disabilities: The district will build a health plan to meet the unique health needs of students who need them. This could include home instruction or further mitigation efforts in the school setting.
Masks: All students K-12, staff, parents and other visitors are required to wear a mask in the school building during the school day (unless medical, religious or developmental conditions prohibit use) Under federal order, masks must also be worn on school buses.
McCord Middle School
Email: mkuri@wscloud.org
Website: https://www.worthington.k12.oh.us/Domain/11
Location: 1500 Hard Road, Columbus, OH, USA
Phone: (614)450-4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/McCordPTA/
Twitter: @McCordMiddle