Coronavirus (COVID-19)

With the recently elevated discussion regarding Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in the news, we want to take time to reinforce preventive safety measures and reference our processes and methods of communication.

It is important to note that practicing everyday preventive actions is the most effective way of halting the spread of illness or disease.

We encourage our students, staff members, and families to be mindful of the key preventive actions listed below. Parents and guardians, please reinforce these practices with your child:

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

Dos and Donts to prevent the spread of COVID-19

Travel FAQs

My family is planning to travel over spring break (or sometime soon). Should I cancel my plans?

CDC provides recommendations on postponing or canceling travel. These are called travel notices and are based on assessment of the potential health risks involved with traveling to a certain area. Access a list of destinations with travel notices.

Warning Level 3: CDC recommends travelers avoid all nonessential travel to destinations with level 3 travel notices because of the risk of getting COVID-19.

Alert Level 2: Because COVID-19 can be more serious in older adults and those with chronic medical conditions, people in these groups should talk to a healthcare provider and consider postponing travel to destinations with level 2 travel notices.

Watch Level 1: CDC does not recommend canceling or postponing travel to destinations with level 1 travel notices because the risk of COVID-19 is thought to be low.

If your travel is to a destination at a Level 1, no precautionary measures are currently being indicated. If your travel is to a destination at a Level 2 or 3, please access travel information on CDC's website for the most timely recommendations.

Will my child be able to return to school after traveling?

To slow the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) into the United States, CDC is working with state and local public health partners to implement after-travel health precautions. Depending on your travel history, individuals will be asked to stay home by their public health department for a period of 14 days from the time you left an area with widespread or ongoing community spread (Level 3 Travel Health Notice).

There are currently no quarantine indications for travelers who return from areas with Level 1 or Level 2 travel notices, as indicated by CDC.

What is the risk of getting COVID-19 on an airplane?

Because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes, most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on airplanes. Although the risk of infection on an airplane is low, travelers should try to avoid contact with sick passengers and wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer that contain 60%–95% alcohol. For more information: Exposure Risk During Travel.

(https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/faqs.html)

FAQs: Prevention & Monitoring

What is COVID-19?

Because the situation is quickly evolving, the best way to stay informed is through the Wisconsin Department of Public Health website or the CDC website. Following are some useful links for accessing more factual information about COVID-19.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Summary

Cases in the United States

Global Map

What You Should Know

How it spreads
Prevention and treatment
What to do if you are sick
Symptoms
Stigma and COVID-19
Frequently Asked Questions

What are some key preventive actions I can take?

(Click the image above for a printable PDF)

The following is CDC’s list of key preventive actions we can all take to avoid the spread of disease:

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

What preventive actions is MTSD taking?

Schools, working together with local health departments, have an important role in slowing the spread of diseases to help ensure students have safe and healthy learning environments.

Our schools are intensifying cleaning practices throughout our buildings and will follow all directions provided by public health officials to prevent and limit the virus. Our protocols include carefully monitoring trends related to illness within our school community. According to protocol, intensified cleaning procedures have been implemented, along with the use of an ultraviolet light tower.
We are encouraging students and staff to take everyday prev entive actions to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses, such as staying home when sick; appropriately covering coughs and sneezes; cleaning frequently touched surfaces; and washing hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

When should I keep my child home from school?

If children are sick, they should not be at school. Students need to be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to class after any illness. Please refer to the health guidelines outlined on our district website. Keeping children home when they are sick is critical to limiting the spread of disease or illness.

Please remember to call your child's school office if they will be absent due to illness. When you call your child’s school office, be prepared to describe their symptoms so that we can continue to monitor trends within our school communities.

Is it a possibility that school could be closed if the risk to public health grows?

It is important to note that the Wisconsin Department of Health Services is continuing to indicate that the immediate health risk to to the general public in the state remains low (as of 3/11/20). However, should conditions escalate, it is possible that public health officials could close our schools. If this should occur, one scenario might involve school closure for a period of 14 days.

Will teaching and learning be expected to continue virtually should school be closed?

Learning at our schools primarily occurs inside classrooms with face-to-face teaching by certified instructors, often using interactive technology tools. In a situation where school is temporarily closed, it is in students’ best interest to continue to engage in learning. While we would receive guidance from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction regarding lost instructional time due to a forced closure, we are exploring just what virtual learning could look like in our schools, across grade levels and content areas.

Would co-curricular programs and recreation department programs be suspended if schools were closed?

Would childcare be available through Kids' Campus if school was closed?

Are overnight field trips being canceled?

The Homestead High School orchestra trip to Bavaria, Germany has officially been postponed.

District-sponsored, domestic field trips that involve overnight stays, including a high school band trip to New Orleans, and the 8th grade field trips to Washington, D.C. are not canceled at this time. However, situations and recommendations are rapidly changing. We will pay close attention to all recommendations for travel issued by CDC and will keep students, staff, and families informed.

Stigma & Resilience

The Mequon-Thiensville School District prides itself in providing an educational environment that is free of harassment in any form and is committed to protecting our students and stakeholders from any form of physical or verbal abuse. Anyone can report an incident of harassment, bullying, or a safety concern using our SAFETY REPORTING FORM.

Public health emergencies, such as the outbreak of COVID-19, are stressful times for people and communities. Fear and anxiety about a disease can lead to social stigma toward people, places, or things. For example, stigma and discrimination can occur when people associate a disease, such as COVID-19, with a population or nationality, even though not everyone in that population or from that region is specifically at risk for the disease. Stigma can also occur after a person has been released from COVID-19 quarantine even though they are not considered a risk for spreading the virus to others.

Stigma affects the emotional or mental health of stigmatized groups and the communities they live in. Stopping stigma is important to making communities and community members. See resources on mental health and coping during COVID-19.

Everyone can help stop stigma related to COVID-19 by knowing the facts and sharing them with others in your community.

(https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/related-stigma.html)

District Communication

We will continue to communicate with families directly if there are concerns related to COVID-19 or other communicable diseases. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Executive Director of Student Services Rachel Lemanczyk or District Nurse Jess Jost.

Rachel Lemanczyk, Executive Director of Student Services

rlemanczyk@mtsd.k12.wi.us
262-238-8501

Jess Jost, District Nurse

jjost@mtsd.k12.wi.us

262-238-5630

Communication Archive

Message to Families
March 3, 2020

Message to Families
March 11, 2020

Access more information about disease prevention on the CDC website

Learn more about MTSD's guidelines on when to keep children home from school