Guidance on Travel and Returning to School

We know that it is summer and many families are traveling. Unfortunately, travel is a mechanism to facilitate the spread of viruses like COVID-19.The PA Secretary of Health is advising 14 day self-quarantine for travel to specifically identified areas of high community spread. As a district, we have sought advice from our health professionals (school nurse/school doctor) seeking how best to proceed. Based on their advice, we are requesting that students self-quarantine for 14 days following:

• return from areas of high community spread

• participation in a high-risk event (large gatherings indoor >25 or outdoor >250 and in proximity with said individuals) no matter the physical location (the State does not matter)

• travel via high risk (plane, cruise ship, public bus, etc.)

• close and prolonged (15 minutes or more) contact with a confirmed COVID-19 positive individual

If your child meets any one of these conditions, please speak with the nurse in your building to develop a plan for your individual situation. Because travel details will impact your child’s ability to return, please be specific. After gathering information, the building nurse will meet with the principal to determine whether or not your child should self-quarantine before returning to school. If your children are not physically ill and therefore able to attend school virtually, they will be able to do so through PV Rams Online until they are able to return. If attending PV Rams Online during self-quarantine, they will be counted as present in school.

Ideally, we will try our best to adhere to mandates and follow the advice of health professionals. This measured and thoughtful approach will help us to keep our community as safe as possible in these challenging times. Keep in mind that your honesty will help support the health and safety of our students, families, and staff members.

Contact with Covid-19 Positive Person

What if my child is presumed positive or confirmed positive for COVID-19?

This year we anticipate that we will have students who are presumed positive or confirmed positive for COVID-19. Those presumed positive display symptoms consistent with COVID-19 but have not yet received a test. Those confirmed positive have a test indicating they are COVID-19 positive.

If your child has symptoms that indicate a presumed positive case, he/she will be asked to isolate at home until receiving clearance from a physician or a negative COVID-19 test.

If your child is confirmed positive, he/she will need to self-quarantine for 14 days and will be unable to return until testing negative for COVID-19 or receiving clearance from a physician.

We ask that you notify the school nurse immediately if your child has symptoms of a presumed positive case or is confirmed to have COVID-19. The school nurse will notify the “need to know” faculty of your child’s presumed or confirmed case and provide specific dates that he/she may not attend class due to a medical reason. If your child has not recovered and needs to extend the absence, we will notify the “need to know” faculty of the new date.

What if my child comes into contact at school with a person who is positive for COVID-19?

If a student at your child’s school has a confirmed positive test for COVID-19, that student will be self-quarantined for 14 days and will be unable to return until testing negative for COVID-19 or receiving clearance from a physician. The PA Department of Health will conduct contact tracing and notify those in close contact with the COVID-19 student. The PA DOH will also notify the school of any confirmed positive cases within our schools.

Because classrooms are socially distanced, instructors and classmates are not automatically considered close contacts. Public health staff will work with school administrators to determine whether entire classrooms or other cohort groups need to be quarantined. Based on these discussions, public health staff will direct close contacts to quarantine for 14 days from the last exposure to the case; this includes household contacts (like siblings and parents /guardians/ caregivers) who attend or work in other schools.

As long as the students and staff who had contact with the COVID-19 positive student are not showing symptoms and are not determined to be to be a direct close contact, instruction will continue as usual.