No Coronavirus In Oswego Schools: Dist. 308 Officials

OSWEGO, IL — Oswego School District 308 sent a letter to parents and guardians on March 12, assuring them that no cases of COVID-19 had been detected in the district. The letter also contains information for families on how to prevent the spread of the virus, and new safety protocols the district will be taking in its facilities.

These new protocols include not allowing anyone except students and employees into school buildings, and asking students who had recently traveled to an area with high levels of coronavirus infection to stay home for at least two weeks. Absences of this kind will be excused, the letter states; areas with high levels of infection include China, Italy and South Korea.

Here is a full transcript of the letter:

March 12, 2020

SD308 Families,

Information and guidelines regarding Coronavirus COVID-19 is constantly evolving. Based on recent guidance, our district has initiated several changes to our current procedures as outlined below. You can expect a daily communication at 11am, Monday - Friday from the district on current practices enacted to protect the health and safety of our students and staff and additional messages as needed to communicate any important or urgent updates.

We are not aware of any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our schools or communities.

• In an effort to reduce a potential spread of illness, following consultation with our local health department, effective immediately, while school is in session, only employees, contracted employees, and students should be permitted in schools beyond the main office/primary entrance area. No visitors, guest speakers, or volunteers will be allowed in the school while students are present.
• Individuals attending before/after school events in the school buildings will be asked not to enter if they are experiencing symptoms of illness or have traveled to the CDC Level 3 affected regions. Additional cleaning will take place following facility use by non-students.
• All parent-teacher conferences and IEP meetings will be conducted only by phone or electronic communication.

International Travel

• If your student(s) have traveled out of the country over the last two weeks or have travel plans between now and May 28, please report your travel plans using this online form. Alternatively, if you cannot access the online form, you may also report travel to the main office of your child’s school by phone.
• Per IDPH guidance, any student or staff member returning from a location with sustained widespread transmission (CDC Travel Warning of Level 3) should not attend school/work for 14 days after the return date. Absences for this purpose will be excused. The list of areas can frequently change, but currently includes China, Iran, South Korea and Italy; information on travel warnings is available at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html.
• Students who are not permitted to attend school following travel or potential exposure to COVID-19 are eligible for tutoring services from a certified instructor via phone or web-based learning.
• If a student, staff member or volunteer has returned from an affected geographic location within the past 14 days or is a contact to a COVID-19 case, and develops respiratory symptoms including fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, school health personnel will immediately report the matter to the local health department/IDPH to continue investigation and possible testing.

Please remember there are several other respiratory illnesses with symptoms similar to COVID-19, including influenza, currently circulating in our area. You are encouraged to call your physician’s office for medical advice. Many healthcare facilities are requesting that patients call before going in for care, to help prevent any potential spread. If you have concerns regarding a potential exposure to COVID-19, please contact the health department for guidance.

Staff who are sick should NOT be present at school.

Any district-led travel is being considered on a case-by-case basis, based on who is attending, the location and mode of transportation. International district-approved student trips occurring over the next 30 days have been cancelled. The safety of our students and staff is the top priority when making any decisions regarding gatherings and travel.

Additional changes to our normal operating procedures in response to recommendations from CDC, IDPH, ISBE and/or our local health department will be communicated to all staff and parents, and can occur often as the response to this public health situation continues.

Daily cleaning and sanitization of facilities, surfaces, equipment, and buses is occuring. Most cleaning occurs after-hours and overnight and may not be seen by students, parents and staff. The use of particular cleaning supplies and processes are done following CDC recommendations. This weekend a full deep-clean of all school buildings will occur.

Our district will continue to operate, with many precautions in place to help reduce the potential spread of illness. Links to the most updated information can be found online a

www.sd308.org/COVID19.

Thank you for your time and assistance with this important issue.

To date, 25 cases of COVID-19 infection have been confirmed in Illinois, including one case in Kane County.

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