March 6, 2020
Dear Grand Valley Local School Families,
With the well-being of our school community being highest priority, we are writing to you today to remind families of our districts’ infectious disease precautions. With the Coronaviruses (COVID-19) being of recent concern around the world, we wanted to take a moment to review disease precautions and share some things we can do to keep our students and community safe and healthy.
Grand Valley Local Schools continues to work closely with Ashtabula County Health Department along with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and Centers of Disease Control (CDC) to receive guidance and instruction on disease preparedness and recommendations for our school district.
Grand Valley Local Schools has taken the following measures to be proactive:
- Our maintenance and custodial staff have been cleaning and disinfecting surfaces daily, and in some cases, multiple times a day in high traffic areas
- Cleaning and sterilizing after extracurricular events held at our facility
- Reviewing the school districts Emergency Operations Plan
- Monitoring staff and student absences and reported illnesses
- Educating students, parents and staff regarding good hygiene practices
As with any illness, such as flu, ODH recommends the following precautions for your children and yourself:
- Wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds or more with soapy water
- Strengthen your immune system by getting adequate sleep, eating a well-balanced diet, stay hydrated and exercise regularly
- Receive an annual flu vaccination
- Avoid large crowds
- Clean and disinfect surfaces
- Instruct and remind your student to cover their mouth/nose with a tissue or elbow (not their hand)
- Visit the doctor if flu symptoms arise
- Instruct and remind your student to avoid touching their eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
- Please follow school policy when your child becomes ill
- Always seek medical advice from your doctor to discuss your student’s symptoms and treatment options
Our school nurse and school officials will be receiving regular updates from the health department at the local and state level and will monitor the situation accordingly.
For more information on Coronavirus (COVID19) and hand hygiene:
https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/handwashing-family.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/know-our-programs/Novel-Coronavirus
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/index.html
If you have any questions, please contact the district nurse or reach out to me at (440) 805-4545 Ext. 4.
Sincerely,
Dr. William R. Nye Jr.