Dear Staff, Students, and Families:
A member of the school community has reported that they have been diagnosed with lab-confirmed COVID-19 (coronavirus). When working with Polk County Public Health (PCPH) we have determined that the risk of exposure at our school is low, and we wish the individual a speedy recovery.
We have worked with the Polk County Public Health to identify those who had close contact with the case and have already communicated with them individually. A “close contact” is someone that has been within 6 feet of a case for 15 minutes or more. The risk of exposure for other individuals present at school on that date is no greater than the risk of contracting the virus in the general community.
If you were not identified to have close contact with the positive case you should still monitor for symptoms of illness, but do not need to stay home unless symptoms develop. If symptoms develop, stay home, and consult with your healthcare provider.
We understand that this may create unease in our school community. We have taken action to clean and sanitize the classroom and facility while working closely with PCPH to monitor the situation. We are asking all members of our school community to minimize the spread of illness by taking the following actions:
- Protect yourself and others by washing your hands often with soap and water; covering your cough and sneeze; avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- If you are sick, stay home from school and other activities.
- Frequently clean all commonly touched surfaces (e.g., telephones, doorknobs, countertops, etc.).
- Maintain social distancing of 6 feet or more as much as possible.
If you start feeling ill, stay home and away from other household members. It is recommended that you call your healthcare provider to be tested for COVID-19.
Stay home until all these things are true:
- It has been 10 days since you first felt sick.
- You have had no fever for the last 24 hours, without using a medicine that lowers fevers.
- Improvement of symptoms.
If your household contacts were exposed to you while you had symptoms, it is recommended to stay home for 14 days, monitor your health, and contact your medical provider for recommended COVID-19 testing.
This is our first notification of a case of COVID-19 within our school year, and we are thankful to this individual for their self-awareness and reporting their condition. Given the number of cases in Minnesota and our region, we would expect to see increased cases.
When the Win-E-Mac School District is notified of future positive COVID-19 cases, you will be provided with a general notice (unless you are identified as a close contact) by Win-E-Mac School District. That notice will not necessarily be an in-depth, schoolwide wide letter like this. Due to confidentiality and the stigma that is often associated with a positive COVID diagnosis, no one will be told who is potentially positive. What will happen is when we get a confirmed positive test, families, and staff will be notified through the school’s communication systems, with a notification being sent to staff and families that “there has been a positive COVID person identified, and no further information will be forthcoming unless you are identified as a close contact, which is defined as 15 min or longer at less than 6ft apart.”
If you feel ill, take the appropriate actions to protect our school community, seek medical attention, and we encourage you to report any COVID-19 health updates to the School Nurse, Amy Van Den Eide, or Principal Kevin McKeever @ 218-563-2900.
This is a challenging time and I know many of us may be feeling stress or anxiety. We will get through this as a community and will be stronger together.
Sincerely,
Randy Bruer,
Superintendent