Dear Parents:

This is a time for hope as COVID-19 vaccine eligibility extends to educators and is becoming more widely available. This vaccine offers an additional layer of protection to our community and we are strongly encouraging our educators to receive it as soon as they are able.

We continue to follow the data, as well as the recommendations of the CDC, Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS) and the Oakland County Health Division (OCHD). As mid-winter break approaches, I’ve invited our school nurse, Robin Clements, to provide reminders and detailed guidance regarding our travel and quarantine policies. I ask you to read through her note carefully.

The safety of our community is a shared responsibility, and key to our mission. We request that all members of our Academy of the Sacred Heart community self-report travel/close contacts in good faith as described in the following policy:

If your family travels overnight (in-state, domestically or internationally) and has close contact with people outside your household, we are asking your family to quarantine for 10 days upon your return. Flex learning is available for students needing to quarantine; please reach out to your learning community leader if your child needs to quarantine and you have not previously contacted your school leader about the need for flex learning.

This policy is in place until further notice, including mid-winter break and, likely, Easter break as well. By sharing this with you now, we hope to give you the time to thoughtfully consider your plans. In addition, our screening questions will be changing to reflect this policy, effective Tuesday, January 19.

Thank you for your attention to the information Robin has provided in the following message, which includes answers to some frequently asked questions. Should you have any additional questions about our COVID-19 policies, please reach out to rclements@ashmi.org and copy your child’s learning community leader.

In His hope,
Damian Hermann
Head of School

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Nurse’s Notes
By Robin Clements, RN, BSN, School Nurse

There have been many questions regarding the travel policy, students’ return to school and vaccinations. Oakland County is still seeing more than 100 cases of COVID-19 daily. Although the vaccination process has begun, we are not out of the woods yet. Expect there to be more identified cases in the school. We must continue to be diligent and take precautions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Symptomatic Students
If a student is not feeling well, please keep him/her home from school. Click here to view the school policy for symptomatic students. If a student or family member is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, a negative PCR test is required to clear a student/staff member to return to school. The school cannot accept rapid tests. Rapid tests are less sensitive and not to be used for clearance to return per OCHD. If obtaining COVID-19 testing, please have a PCR test done in addition to, or rather than, a rapid test.

Close Contacts
A close contact is considered someone who was within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period, with or without a mask. If there is a positive case in the school, the school will work with OCHD to identify close contacts. Parents may be notified to pick up their child during the school day. We ask that this be within the hour of being notified. Close contacts will be instructed to quarantine for 10 days and monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days. Many parents have asked if a student may return sooner if they have a negative COVID-19 test. A person must quarantine for 10 days after an exposure, even with a negative COVID-19 test. The incubation period for COVID-19 is 2-14 days. A person may test negative on day 5 but develop symptoms on day 8. Testing is not required for all close contacts who are instructed to quarantine. If the person develops symptoms of illness, it is recommended the person be tested.

If a student is identified as a close contact and is in quarantine, siblings may attend school UNLESS the quarantined student develops symptoms of COVID-19. If a family member is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and/or awaiting the results of testing, all family members should stay home.

Travel & Mixing Households
Travel can increase your chance of exposure and the spread of COVID-19. Staying home is the best way of protecting yourself and others from COVID-19.

Activities that can put someone at higher risk for COVID-19 per the CDC:

Attending large social gatherings like weddings, funerals, or parties
Attending a mass gathering like a sporting event, concert, or parade
Being in crowds like restaurants, bars, fitness centers, or movie theaters
Being on trains, buses, in airports, or other public transportation
Traveling or staying with people who don’t live in the same household as you

If you participate in any of the activities above, you should consider flex learning upon your return.

Vaccines
Last week, it was announced that teachers were eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. The OCHD schedules appointments for the received doses only. They will schedule more appointments as they receive more doses of vaccine. Some teachers have/had appointments scheduled this week. Others are still trying to schedule an appointment.

FAQs

What do you mean by in-state travel? Travel requiring spending the night in a hotel or a in household that is not your own.

How do you define close contact? Within six feet for a total of 15 minutes over a 24 hour period, masked or unmasked.

What about travel teams? If travel teams are taking precautions, it is okay to participate and not quarantine. We ask that you consider flex learning if your child is on a travel team and not following the recommended guidance.

How about play dates or sleepovers? Play dates with a mask and social distancing are fine, especially if the play date is outside. However, masks should not be worn while sleeping, therefore sleepovers are not recommended.

Nobody I’ve been in contact with during my travels is showing any symptoms or has tested positive. Do I still have to quarantine? Yes! According to the CDC, the incubation period (the time from exposure to development of symptoms) of COVID-19 ranges from 2-14 days. Often people can be contagious before experiencing symptoms of illness.

I’ve decided to expand my family’s “bubble”. Do we need to quarantine? Current guidelines from MDHHS suggest your bubble should be no larger than 10 people from two households. If your bubble is larger than that, yes.

How do you determine how long to quarantine? For example, John Doe was identified as a close contact to a COVID case who tested positive for COVID-19 on the first of the month. John is required to quarantine. His quarantine starts the day after exposure (the second of the month). John must quarantine through the eleventh of the month.

If John does not experience any symptoms of COVID-19, he may end his quarantine and leave his house on the twelfth if he continues to monitor for symptoms through the fifteenth. If he develops symptoms, he should be tested for COVID and isolate. John and all of his family members are excluded from school/work while he is pending test results for his symptoms.

The same timeline would also apply to overnight travel.

If I have a negative test, do I still have to quarantine? Yes! According to the CDC, the incubation period (the time from exposure to development of symptoms) of COVID-19 ranges from 2-14 days. Often people can be contagious before they are experiencing symptoms of illness. The current quarantine guidelines from the OCHD are to quarantine for 10 days after last exposure, provided the individual does not develop any symptoms of COVID-19 and the individual continues to monitor for symptoms through day 14 after the last exposure. A negative test is not an exemption from quarantine.

Can I get a rapid test, rather than a PCR test? The gold standard is a rapid test and PCR test for confirmation. Rapid tests are less sensitive than PCR tests. The OCHD requires PCR testing to clear a student to return to school. It is best to have both tests done. However, if you only have one test done, it needs to be a PCR test.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, please email me at rclements@ashmi.org.