If Students or Staff become Ill with Symptoms of COVID-19 at School
When a student presents with symptoms requiring a visit to the school nurse, the school district follows the recommendation from the Monroe County Department of Health, which includes immediate isolation and sending the student home as soon as possible.
The district requires students or staff with a temperature, signs of illness, and/or a positive response to the questionnaire to be sent directly to a dedicated isolation area where students are supervised, prior to being picked up or otherwise sent home. Students will be supervised in the isolation area while awaiting transport home and will be separated by at least 6 feet. Students will be escorted from the isolation area to their parent/guardian.
Individuals with signs of illness will be directed to contact their medical provider, who will determine if and when a test is warranted. Testing will take place at the provider's office or at a testing location provided by the provider. If the individual can not access a medical provider, the school district will reach out to WorkFit to access a medical provider for the student or staff member.
Transporting Home:
● Students will be escorted from the isolation area to the parent/guardian.
● Staff will provide the parent/guardian with a student assessment checklist and COVID-19 parent letter.
● Symptomatic students or staff members must follow CDC’s Stay Home When You Are Sick guidance unless otherwise directed by a healthcare provider or the Monroe County Department of Health.
● If the student or staff member has emergency warning signs such as trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to arouse, bluish lips or face, the district will call 911 and notify the operator that the person may have COVID-19.
Return to School after Illness
The district has established protocols and procedures, in consultation with the local health department(s), about the requirements for determining when individuals, particularly students, who screened positive for COVID-19 symptoms can return to the in-person learning environment at school.
When an individual exhibits symptoms consistent with COVID-19 during a screening, that individual must immediately be separated from others and sent home. The individual cannot return to school without, at minimum:
● documentation from a health care provider,
● a negative COVID-19 test and
● symptom resolution.
If an individual receives a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, the individual must wait to be released from isolation before returning.
Schools should follow NYS DOH’s “PreK- Grade 12 COVID-19 Toolkit” for faculty or staff members who are seeking to return to work after a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 or after close contact with a person with COVID-19.
COVID-19 Testing
For a COVID-19 confirmed case, the Monroe County Department of Health takes the lead on decisions regarding isolation/quarantine and release.
In the event that a large-scale testing will need to be conducted at the school, the district administration will work with the following providers:
● Dr. Michael Mendoza with the Monroe County Department of Health- (585) 753-6000 ● Dr. Jay Ellie with WorkFit- (585)426-4990
● Director of Occupational and Comprehensive School Health Heather Hosking with WorkFit- (585)426-4990
Contact Tracing
The district notifies the state and local health department immediately upon being informed of any positive COVID-19 diagnostic test result by an individual within school facilities or on school grounds, including students, faculty, staff, and visitors of the district. The district cooperates with the Monroe County Department of Health with contact tracing, isolation and quarantine efforts.
To assist the local health department with tracing the transmission of COVID-19, the district has developed and maintained a plan to trace all contacts of exposed individuals in accordance with
protocols, training, and tools provided through the New York State Contact Tracing Program. Districts may assist with contact tracing by:
1. Keeping accurate attendance records of students and staff members
2. Ensuring student schedules are up to date
3. Keeping a log of any visitor which includes date and time, and where in the school they visited
4. Assisting the local health departments in tracing all contacts of the individual in accordance with the protocol, training, and tools provided through the NYS Contact Tracing Program
The Monroe County Department of Health responds and performs a thorough investigation, including contact tracing with cooperation from the school and provides recommendations to the school regarding action plans in response to a COVID- 19 positive case.
The Monroe County Department of Health does not disclose personal information for those testing positive for COVID-19. All relevant parties will be notified appropriately by the school or through contact tracing by the health department. The health department notifies the community of a positive student case by identifying the name of the school building impacted. The Monroe County Department of Health notifies the community of a positive faculty/staff case by identifying the name of the school district.
The health department also notifies the superintendent and school nurse of all mandatory quarantines for students, staff and faculty after notifying the individual and/or family.
Local health departments do not automatically consider teachers and school staff to be essential workers. A determination needs to be made on a case-by-case basis with the Monroe County Department of Health and the East Rochester Union Free School District, pending guidance from NYSDOH.
For more information about how COVID-19 containment efforts will be communicated to students, families and staff members, visit the Communication/Family and Community Engagement section of our reopening plan.
School Closures
A closure refers to contingency plans, protocols, and procedures for decreasing the scale or scope of in- person education and/or closing the school. The district collaborates with the Monroe County Department of Health to determine the parameters, conditions or metrics (e.g., increased absenteeism or increased illness in-school community) that will serve as early warning signs that positive COVID-19 cases may be increasing beyond an acceptable level.
At a minimum, the plan will incorporate the following:
Some conditions may warrant the district, in consultation with state and local health departments, to reduce in-person education or closing the school and plan for an orderly closure; such conditions may include:
● Schools in New York will close if the regional infection rate rises over 9%. Schools will close if the 7-day rolling average of the infection rate is above 9%.
● School districts in our region of New York district can reopen if the daily infection rate remains below 5%, using a 14-day average, unless otherwise directed from the Monroe County Department of Health.
● If the infection rate rises about 9%, the district must wait until the 14-day average is below 5%
● Once schools open at Phase 4 with below 5% for a 14-day rolling average, schools can remain open even if the rate continues to rise until it reaches 9% for a 7-day average.
● The district will be notified by the Monroe County Department of Health on the situation.
● Administrators will consider closing school if absentee rates impact the ability of the school to operate safely.
● The district may choose to modify operations prior to closing to help mitigate a rise in cases. If infection rates are rising above 5%; consider modifying school operations for medically vulnerable students and staff if they are participating in in-person activities. We will consult with our medical director and the Monroe County Department of Health when making such decisions.
● The district will determine which operations will be decreased or ceased and which operations will be conducted remotely; include a process to conduct orderly closures which may include phasing, milestones, and involvement of key personnel.
For more information about how school closure information will be communicated to students, families and staff members, visit the Communication/Family and Community Engagement section of our reopening plan.