Coronavirus preparations and preventative measures in place in Hamilton County Schools
Hamilton County Schools is working closely with the Chattanooga – Hamilton County Health Department as the concern nationwide regarding the Coronavirus increases.
The local Health Department is in close contact with its partners, the Tennessee Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to monitor the situation and get the latest health recommendations, and they share that information with our school district.
There are no known cases of Coronavirus in our area. Even so, Hamilton County Schools will continue to be vigilant in our efforts to prevent the spread of all viruses in our community and schools.
School nurses are working to keep the school environment safe by sending students home when they exhibit signs of fever or flu-like symptoms. We ask parents; please keep your child at home if any of these symptoms are present. Schools will support students in the area of leniency regarding absenteeism from classes and extra-curricular activities. We also encourage employees to stay at home if flu-like symptoms are present. Students and employees should be fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medications for 24-hours before returning to school.
The district is increasing efforts to reinforce proper hygiene practices and cleaning methods to protect students and employees from illnesses such as a cold, flu, and the Coronavirus:
- Parents, please help us by reinforcing a child covering any coughs or sneezes with the elbow or tissue and not the hands.
- Schools will continue to encourage students to wash their hands multiple times during the school day and model proper hand-washing. (CDC Information on effective handwashing)
- Schools and custodial personnel are disinfecting surfaces in schools daily, such as desks, counter-tops, light switches, doorknobs, and other frequently touched areas.
- Our custodial service provider has fogged every school with an electrostatic disinfectant sprayer and will continue to revisit schools with this cleaning method while concerns are present with the flu or Coronavirus.
The district’s efforts to keep our schools clean and safe learning environments has helped us keep schools open during this flu season. We appreciate the work of our administrators, teachers, and cleaning staff, and we will increase our efforts during this current concern.
The CDC has recommended school districts have alternative methods in place to provide educational opportunities for students. Already this year, Hamilton County Schools has provided learning opportunities for children to use on the few days missed due to inclement weather. The district will continue to develop methods to provide even more alternative learning for students in the future.
We will continue to be proactive during the coming weeks and work with our health partners and the Tennessee Department of Education to make any adjustments necessary to ensure the safest environment possible for our students and employees. As information is shared with us by state and local officials, we will communicate with our staff, students, parents, and community.
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