Dear School Community,

You have no doubt been hearing news of the spread of coronavirus or COVID-19 and may be wondering how or when it might affect our lives here in Cleveland. Although there have been no reported cases in Ohio, we are monitoring the guidance from local and national health officials as well as our own daily attendance rates and reported symptoms, in an effort to both prevent and prepare for this and other illnesses.

Prevention for COVID-19 is very similar to prevention for the annual flu virus and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following actions:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
  • If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
  • Get a flu vaccine – it’s never too late.

Please reinforce these actions with your children at home and staff will continue to do so at school. We cannot emphasize it strongly enough: please keep your child home if they are sick.

The health and safety of our students continues to be our first priority. As we monitor the situation, we will be:

  • Cleaning all classrooms on a daily basis.
  • Sanitizing surfaces and objects that are touched often, such as bathrooms, desks, doorknobs, faucet handles, and phones.
  • Ensuring all bathrooms are continuously stocked with soap, and encouraging students and staff to wash hands frequently.
  • Ensuring all staff have the resources and guidance needed to detect and report symptoms exhibited at school, and provide help for any affected individuals.
  • Continually updating the school community with information from the Ohio Department of Health and the CDC.
  • Symptoms of the novel coronavirus include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Complications can include pneumonia in both lungs. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports symptoms of coronavirus can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure. If you notice symptoms like these, please contact your doctor immediately. Please go to this linked Fact Sheet for more information on Coronavirus (COVID-19): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/2019-ncov-factsheet.pdf
  • If your student has a fever, please keep them home for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone or if they have no signs of fever without the use of fever-reducing drugs like ibuprofen (Motrin/Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol).
  • We encourage you to keep up-to-date about 2019-nCoV, its treatment, and prevention by visiting the following websites:
  • CDC’s dedicated COVID-19 website at https://www.cdc.gov/nCoV
  • Ohio Department of Health’s daily updates on COVID-19 at https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/know-our-programs/Novel-Coronavirus/2019-nCoV

We will continue to distribute helpful information and keep you informed. Please reach out if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,

Matt Cox
Director of Network Facilities
216.721.0120 x1101

Brooke King
Executive Director
216.961.4308 x2337

Featured photo by Mélissa Jeanty on Unsplash