September 25, 2020
Dear Families,
Earlier this week, an individual in our school district was identified as being positive with COVID-19. It appeared to originate outside the school district. The individual has not been in our school facilities in the past seven days, and at the time of this writing, there are currently no identified exposures as a result of Washington County Public Health’s investigation.
The health department determined the case likely originated outside our walls, so it is classified as a community case, and not an in-school case. In light of that distinction, at this time we are continuing in-person classes.
However, we are taking no chances with student safety. Over the last 24 hours, any facilities we have identified as being of concern have been extensively cleaned and sanitized. In addition, our transportation vehicles also underwent more intense cleaning.
Washington County Public Health will be investigating more thoroughly over the next several days and any parties that might have come in close contact with this individual will be notified by them. The county is responsible for all tracing and tracking procedures. As always, if you or a family member have symptoms of a virus that might be COVID-19 please stay at home and do not come to school. Our health offices have several resources for families that can be helpful in making that determination.
If the health department confirms an in-school case (not a community case, as this current case is considered), we will transition to remote learning for a minimum of five days. This will allow our health partners the time to complete their contact tracing and notifications. We will use all the communication outlets available to us to notify parents of this transition. This includes posting the information on our website (hfcsd.org), sending an automated phone call, and an email via SchoolMessenger, as well as sending a push notification through our smartphone app. Please make sure that the contact information that you have provided in SchoolTool is still current. If it needs to be updated, please contact our district registrar at (518) 681-4279.
As a reminder, to keep our school community safe, we have established protocols around wearing masks, staying socially distant, and proper hand hygiene. We encourage all families to do their part, both in-school and out.
We understand that a lot of this process can be confusing for parents. We will do everything we can to communicate with our school community clearly, and often. Thank you for your continued partnership! Please contact me if you would like more information about our health and safety procedures.
Sincerely,
Jon Hunter, Interim Superintendent of Schools