News from the Weedsport Health Office about medication drop-off, immunization requirements and COVID-19

First and foremost, the Weedsport Central School District Health Offices would like to welcome your student to the start of the 2020-2021 school year. Whether your child will be attending on a hybrid schedule, in school full time, or online learning, we welcome you.

These are certainly unprecedented times, as we deal with the parameters set before us in preparing for a safe return to school amidst COVID-19. This letter will serve to clear up questions that you may have regarding your student returning to school during a pandemic, as well as to offer you assurance that we will be strictly following the plans set before us by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), New York State (NYS) and Cayuga County Departments of Health, and the NYS Department of Education.

As your student boards the bus or enters the building, things will look and feel a bit different. Students will be greeted by staff and teachers wearing masks and some may be wearing a face shield and gloves. Students will have their temperatures checked upon entering the building using a touchless thermometer. If a student has a temperature reading greater than 100.0 degrees, they will be escorted to the health office for additional screening by the school nurse. Following the temperature check, students can enter their building but they will be required to wear a mask as they enter the building. Unless a special arrangement exists for health/safety reasons, students’ masks may be removed when seated in their classroom and if six feet of social distancing can be maintained from other students or staff.
*Please do not send your child to school if they have had a fever within the past 72 hours. They must be fever free without medication ( Tylenol or Motrin) to suppress a fever.

The following is a list of potential signs and symptoms of Coronavirus Disease ( COVID-19):

Fever or chills
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
New Cough
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea
Rash

This list does not include all the possible symptoms.

Both the Elementary School and the Jr. Sr. High School buildings will have 2 separate Health Offices. In the “Well” Office, students will have access to their daily medications, as needed medications , band aids, ice, etc. Non-illness types of needs and complaints will be handled in the “Well” Office.

If a student is feeling ill in any way and requests to come to the Health Office, that student will enter the “Sick” Office and will be assessed by the school nurse. You will be called to pick your child up if they exhibit any of the above listed symptoms of COVID-19, even if the student has a known, medically documented diagnosis pertaining to the symptoms. If the school nurse is not in the building, staff will call you to pick up your child. We will no longer have the option to have a student “rest” and return to class.

Please call your student’s building Health Office if they will be absent from school and include the reason for the absence. Students who are absent from school will follow the same protocol for those who are sent home sick during the school day. If your student will be absent due to a routine, scheduled appointment, please provide a written medical provider note detailing the reason for the appointment.

The most important piece of information to understand is that if a student leaves the building sick or is absent from school due to illness based on the symptoms listed previously, a doctor’s note AND documentation of a NEGATIVE COVID test AND symptom resolution will be required for the student to return. This medical documentation must be provided before your student may return to school on the bus. This topic has been reviewed with both the Cayuga County Health Department as well as our medical director, Dr. Glowacki. The health and well being of our students and staff is our top priority. We realize the impact of this strict policy, but unless and until guidelines ease, it will stand.

Students will be encouraged to cough or sneeze into a tissue or their elbow, down and away from other students or staff. Hand sanitizer will be available in classrooms, when leaving to wash hands is not immediately an option. Tissues will be available, but not at individual desks. We would encourage, if possible, for students to bring a small pack of tissues for themselves. They can have them readily available if needed.

Students will also be encouraged to have their masks readily available to reapply from their seat, in the event of a drill or unexpected movement in the classroom.

If a student or staff member from Weedsport Central School District tests positive for COVID-19, the information will be relayed to our Superintendent Shaun O’Connor from the Cayuga County Health Department. Public health officials from the Cayuga County Health Department will perform contact tracing with the assistance of school officials. Notifications to families of students/staff that may have had a potential exposure will be made. Be aware that a close contact requiring quarantine would be a person or student that was less than 6 feet of the infected person for greater than 10 minutes without wearing a mask.

If we do have a confirmed case of COVID-19, please do not call the Health Office to ask for the student/staff identity. We can not relay that information. Be assured that if you were not contacted, your student was not exposed.

Medication Drop Off:

For students that require prescription or over the counter medications during the school day, parent/guardian drop-off for these medications should be arranged with the school nurse. All medication must be delivered by an adult to the school nurse. Please bring an order for the 2020-2021 school year from your child’s doctor for the medication, including dosage, time to be given, and the reason to be given clearly stated. Medication should be in a newly labeled pharmacy bottle. If the medication is over the counter, please bring it in its original, unopened bottle or package. Please contact the building nurse to make drop off arrangements. The elementary nurse, Sara Stark, can be reached at 315-834-6685 or sstark@weedsport.org and the MS/HS nurse, Ann Marie Brown, can be reached at 315-834-9347 or ambrown@weedsport.org.

Immunization Requirements:

NYSDOH has announced that there will be no long term waiver for required immunizations. If your child needs mandatory immunizations for entrance to school, you will be notified in a separate mailing or by telephone.
We look forward to having a safe and healthy school year.

Sara Stark, RN Ann Marie Brown, RN
Elementary School Nurse Jr.-Sr. High School Nurse