COVID-19 Fast growing numbers, including our school

This is a NEWS BRIEF, with updated statistics

For more detailed information on Boulder County’s statistics, and the (1) State restrictions as of Nov. 6 and (2) Boulder County’s additional restrictions as of Nov. 16, and (3) Larimer County additional restrictions = go to our article: Boulder Co Public Health orders COVID Level Orange (& statistics)

LYONS has had eleven cases; plus one this week at the elementary school.

UPDATE: November 13 – Colorado is #16 in number of cases in the US.

• On October 31, Colorado jumped to 3,000 or more cases a day (and continued at the level);
• on November 11 it went to 4,307;
• and November 13 to 6,439 new cases,
• for a total of 154,038. == the state positivity rate is 13.78% (11/12/20)

== Boulder County has 7,974 cases (11/12/20) which makes it the 7th highest number of cases in the state, out of 64 counties. == Larimer County has 6,376 which is the 9th highest number in the state.

(These figures are from the State of Colorado COVID report pages.)

THANKSGIVING quarantining: If you are visiting people for Thanksgiving, you need to quarantine yourself beginning “today November 13″==It can take up to 14 days after exposure to the virus for a person to develop COVID-19 symptoms. It is advised that you only associate with those who live in your household. For lots of detailed suggestions, go to the CDC “Thanksgiving” Page.

LYONS COVID SCHOOL NEWS==========

LYONS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL has one case November 11. The individual and all those who may have been exposed are in quarantine. Parents were sent messages notifying them.

ST VRAIN VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT / LYONS SCHOOLS – They are considering making all classes virtual, and it will be discussed next week.

Statements from the principals of the LYONS Elementary School and the Middle/High School

Here is an excerpt from the Middle/High principal November 13 from DR. ANDREA SMITH, Principal, that has to do with the virus:

First, if a parent or student has tested positive for COVID-19 or are experiencing any symptoms, we want to know right away. The best line of communication is to email our Health Clerk at brown_richelle@svvsd.org. We follow all HIPPA protocols around student privacy and medical confidentiality. We monitor and track this information very closely and are in constant communication with families. If a student has tested positive, then we immediately begin our contact tracing protocol. This means conducting a full investigation following all of the protocols and guidelines from Boulder County Public Health. We then submit a full report to both our district and to public health officials. Once the quarantine report has been approved, we move forward with communication to students, parents, and staff. This includes a school-wide notification, a full staff notification, and specific communication focused on specific individuals being quarantined. This is all sent through Infinite Campus messenger which comes through as a “ic-svvsd-do-not-reply@svvsd.org” email.

We want you to know that we are taking student and staff safety very seriously. We work to be extremely thorough in our contact tracing process. We walk through every detail of potential exposure, and we strive to conduct that work in a timely manner.

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Here is an excerpt from TWO messages from PRINCIPAL ANDREW MOORE (Elementary School)

November 13, 2020==Considering Returning to Virtual Learning:

As cases across the county, state, and nation continue to rise, and quarantine protocols become more stringent, Dr. Haddad and our leadership team are considering a move back to the virtual environment after Thanksgiving break.  There are several options being considered, and student and staff access to the building will be influenced by the Boulder County Health Department. A SVVSD School Board meeting will take place next Wednesday to determine next steps, and community wide communication will be sent following the meeting.  Our teachers are certainly prepared for whatever comes next.  Our team has demonstrated incredible innovation and resilience in these past months, and we’ve sharpened our skills to be able to provide consistent and high quality instruction in whatever environment awaits.  

=======from Andrew Moore, earlier on November 10th==One case discovered in the school

Thank you for your continued partnership as we work to maintain safe and healthy school environments during this challenging time. We are working closely with our local and state health agencies when a potential or confirmed case of COVID-19 impacts our school community. To this end, we are writing to share that 1 person at Lyons Elementary has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Anyone who is required to quarantine has already been contacted directly with further instructions. If you have not been contacted, your student will continue to attend school on their regular schedule. 

Each case of COVID-19 is interviewed by public health. As part of this public health investigation:

• The person diagnosed is being kept home from school or work until they are no longer infectious.
• The person’s activities when they could have spread COVID-19 were assessed.
• The people who were close contacts of the person with COVID-19 are instructed to stay home from school for 14 days after the exposure. This is called quarantine.

Additionally, out of an abundance of caution, our building has undergone a deep sanitization and cleaning.

It remains important that students and families continue to follow all safety protocols, wear a mask, wash hands frequently, and maintain social distancing. Families should also screen their students at home every day before sending them to school. Please click here to download our home-screen checklist to use as a guide to screen your child on their in-person learning days.

If your child develops symptoms consistent with COVID-19:

• Follow these isolation instructions.
• Continue to keep your child home from school and avoid other activities around other people.
• Notify the school.
• Seek medical care and testing for COVID-19, calling your doctor before you show up.

Major symptoms include feeling feverish, temperature of 100.4 or greater, loss of taste or smell, new or unexplained persistent cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.  Minor symptoms include a sore throat, runny nose or congestion, muscle or body aches, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Again, thank you for your continued support as we navigate the complexities of the coronavirus pandemic and ensuring the safety of our community. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your school nurse or your building principal directly.