by Larry Chowning –
COVID-19 continues to be a challenge for officials with Middlesex County Public Schools (MCPS) as the system reported 18 positive cases of the virus and quarantined 56 people from Sept. 18-24.
Since school started on Aug. 23 there have been 42 positive cases associated with the schools and 184 individuals have been quarantined.
“As we reach a peak in cases we are asking for your help with the following,” asked MCPS superintendent Dr. Tracy Seitz in an email to parents on Friday, Sept. 24.
“If your child is experiencing any of the symptoms below, please do not send them to school. Please contact the school to determine next steps — fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle/body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.
“Contact has been made with the families of those who are required to quarantine. It is not necessary for any other students or staff to enter quarantine at this time,” said Dr. Seitz.
“Our administrators and staff begin contact tracing immediately when we are notified of a positive case. You can help us by calling your child’s principal as soon as you have your child tested for COVID-19. If it is after hours or on the weekend, please email your child’s administrators so that they can begin the contact tracing process,” she wrote in the email.
“We ask that you continue to encourage good habits within your families and continue to monitor for the COVID-19 symptoms listed above. Based on communication with families these symptoms very closely mimic other very common illnesses or allergies.
“For all staff and students, please also make sure you are performing health screenings each morning. We’ve provided a document to assist you with this process, which you can access right now at www.mcps.k12.va.us/.
“If you feel you or your child has been exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19, please report this to our school administration immediately. This information will be kept confidential,” she wrote.
“The Virginia Department of Health provides information about COVID-19 on its website. The Centers for Disease Control offers tips to keep children healthy during this time. Additionally the Virginia Department of Education’s has produced ‘COVID-19: A Parent Guide for School Age Children’ as an additional resource to families. Please know that we are here to support our families at all times. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
“Thanks for your continued partnership,” said Dr. Seitz. “We are in this together!”
In keeping with the school system policy, Seitz’s email did not specifically name which school or schools were affected, nor did it say whether those affected were school staff, students or some combination of the two.
