Remember what Smokey Bear taught about preventing forest fires? The same imperative applies to COVID-19.
“It may sound cliché. But only we can prevent coronavirus. We all have a role and it’s up to us, each one of us, to do our part,” says Canyons District’s Responsive Services Director BJ Weller.
This fall, as classrooms bubble to life with the sounds of students going about the important business of learning, there are a uniform set of precautions schools will be taking to respond to suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19, Weller says. Through contact tracing, school nurses and administrators will support local health officials in sleuthing out possible exposures in an effort to break chains of transmission before they take hold. The District also will follow state guidelines for determining when to place a classroom or school on quarantine.
“There is no single strategy for reducing exposure and no way to eliminate all risk of exposure. Each layer of prevention builds on the next,” Weller says. “But, when taken together with other measures, such as the use of face coverings, physical distancing, air filtration upgrades and disinfection techniques, we have some powerful tools at our disposal for safeguarding our schools and communities.”
What does this mean for families? What is their role in prevention and what can they expect from schools and health officials? What happens if a student or employee tests positive for COVID-19? How will close contacts be notified of possible exposure, and when would the District move to quarantine a classroom or school?
Answers to these questions and more are covered in a manual based on current state guidelines, which is being emailed to all Canyons District families for their review. After reviewing the manual, parents and guardians will be asked to sign a form acknowledging their receipt of the information and confirming that they have reviewed relevant sections with their children.
For ease of reference, the forms can be downloaded and printed from the links below. Please send completed forms to school with your student. The forms can be turned in to a teacher or the school’s Main Office.
“This is a great opportunity for families to reassure their children and talk about all the steps schools are taking to keep them safe,” Weller says. “It’s also a good time to help students feel empowered to do what they can through good hand hygiene, physical distancing and wearing face coverings.”
Canyons District Parents and Guardians,
The Governor’s Office, state and local health authorities and our municipal partners have outlined specific safety procedures and precautions for reopening schools, and Canyons District has built a safety framework in line with those requirements. Below are links to a manual the District has created, which thoroughly explains the steps schools are taking and the role of families, students and employees in maintaining, safe, welcoming and prepared schools. We are asking all families to review the manual, including those with students who have signed up for Online Instruction or At-Home, Parent-Guided Instruction. PLEASE NOTE: After reviewing the manual, we ask that:
- You sign a form acknowledging your receipt of the information and confirming that you have reviewed relevant sections with your children. The form can be downloaded and printed from the links below.
- Please send completed forms to school with your student or email them to your student’s teacher.
This is a great opportunity for families to reassure their children, talk about all that schools are doing to keep them safe, and help them feel empowered to do their part through daily temperature checks, good hand hygiene, wearing a face covering, and practicing physical distancing. Thank you for your understanding and support. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday, Aug. 24.
