Throughout the district’s schools and buildings, strategies and processes will be implemented to support a safe and healthy learning and working environment. These will include:

• Individuals that show symptoms of illness at school will be sent home. All individuals are requested to self-monitor their health. Persons that are sick, showing symptoms of illness, or that have been exposed to the virus must not come to campus or school.  
• Use of personal protective equipment. Wearing of masks/face coverings/shields by everyone and barriers between people needing close contact.  
• Physical distancing wherever possible and directing flow of people to minimize close contacts. One-way entrances and exits are designated. 
• Frequent hand washing and use of sanitizing stations. Everyone is encouraged to use good hygiene practices when coughing or sneezing and touching surfaces and equipment.
• Ample building cleaning and sanitation measures, emphasizing disinfection of high-touch areas.
• High performance air filters are installed where possible, with extra ventilation and outdoor time encouraged.

Everyone has a role in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19. While you are off campus, having fewer, shorter interactions and safe limited gatherings with required public safety measures in place (masks, physical distance) will lesson your exposure to COVID-19 and the chance that you or your child(ren) may get sick or expose someone else while at school.

Follow current WA Dept. of Health guidance and take advantage of public resources. Conduct daily health checks and take extra good care of yourself and your family.

Masks reduce and/or prevent the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth. Wearing a mask is a simple step to help prevent respiratory droplets emitted during coughing, sneezing, and talking from being transmitted into the air, onto surfaces, and to other people. 

To mitigate risk of transmission of a potential case of COVID-19, a student with any COVID-like symptom will be escorted to a special, separate isolation room, and parents are notified to pick-up and take their child home at the earliest time possible. 

In cases of students potentially ill with COVID-19, staff will track and identify close contacts. If the school receives communication that an ill student has tested positive for COVID-19, the school’s COVID Response protocols will be followed and an administrator will notify Northeast Tri County Health District officials. District administrators coordinate with NETCHD to determine best actions. Notifications to affected parties will be sent at the earliest time possible via phone, email and/or letter.

Guidelines for responding to potential COVID-19 cases at school:

Close Contacts Quarantine & Isolation Decision Tree (NETCHD)

What to do if a Person is Symptomatic at School (WA Dept. of Health)

Anyone who is sick should stay home (except to get medical care) and keep away from others in the household. Do not go out in public. Monitor symptoms. If there is a health emergency, contact 911 and tell personnel about COVID-19 symptoms.

Follow this Dept. of Health guidance:

What to do if you have COVID-19 symptoms but have not been around anyone diagnosed with COVID-19

Call your child’s school promptly to report the situation and the child’s health condition and reason for the absence. As warranted, school staff will collect and evaluate information, advise of next steps and/or provide written guidance, conduct contact tracing at school, and communicate with NETCHD.  

Call your healthcare provider to get the ill individual tested for COVID-19 or visit one of the local testing locations.

Follow this Dept. of Health guidance:

What to do if you were potentially exposed to someone with COVID-19

Call your child’s school promptly to report the situation and the child’s health condition and reason for being absent. As warranted, school staff will collect and evaluate information, advise of next steps, conduct contact tracing at school, and communicate with NETCHD. 

Call your child’s school promptly to report the situation and the child’s health condition. School staff will collect and evaluate information, advise of next steps, conduct contact tracing at school as warranted, and communicate with NETCHD. 

Isolate a sick individual and stay home except to get medical care. All family members potentially exposed should self-quarantine for the recommended amount of time. Monitor everyone’s health for potential symptoms, and get medical help quickly if symptoms (difficulty breathing) get worse.

Follow this Dept. of Health guidance:

What To Do If You Have Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19

ISOLATION means you stay home and away from others (including household members) for the recommended period of time to avoid spreading illness. Isolate when you have COVID-19 symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19, and follow recommended healthcare guidance.

QUARANTINE is what you do if you have been exposed to COVID-19. Quarantine means you stay home and away from others for the recommended period of time in case you are infected and contagious. Quarantine becomes isolation if you later test positive for COVID-19 or develop its symptoms.

Each day visually evaluate your child's health for signs/symptoms of illness. Ask and answer the NE Tri County Health District recommended daily health screening questions for COVID-19:

     NETCHD checklist
If you must answer yes to any question, keep your student(s) at home and contact the school for guidance on the next steps.

Always be aware of your family members’ health conditions. Encourage your children and family members to self-monitor and be responsible for their own good health and to promptly let someone know when they feel ill.

If an elevated temperature is unusual for the child and the child is not feeling well, keep him/her home and monitor for other symptoms. If the child’s health condition worsens, call your licensed healthcare practitioner for further advice on the need for an appointment or COVID-19 test.

School staff will initiate the COVID Response protocol, including identifying any close contacts, notifying all affected staff and students/families, providing resources for families and staff, and cordoning off affected areas for cleaning, sanitizing/disinfecting.

Depending on the extent of COVID infection rates in the classroom and/or school, decisions will be made by the lead administrators in coordination with NETCHD about cancellation of class or closure of school(s) and a return to remote learning for a period of time.

VSD abides by the NETCHD return-to-school guidance, and timelines vary depending on the circumstances and factors involved in each individual case, such as the date of last known contact, vaccination status, whether a student has been tested and the results of a test, and whether the student or household member becomes ill with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.

School staff will collect information, evaluate the situation, communicate with parents and provide an estimated date for return to school if the student’s health condition is improving and the recommended quarantine or isolation periods have been observed.

VSD must abide by NETCHD guidance on providing mask medical exemptions to students, which is explained in detail in this statement written by Health Officer Dr. Sam Artzis. It’s anticipated very few students will meet the criteria for an exemption, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis:

• Children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.
• Children with behavioral conditions or other sensory sensitivities, such as autism spectrum disorder.
• Children considered high-risk by their healthcare provider due to an immunocompromised state such as cancer or cystic fibrosis.

In rare circumstances when a cloth face covering cannot be worn in school, an approved clear face shield may be used as an alternative. If it is determined the student is unable to safely wear a mask or face shield, then remote learning and/or some other accommodation may be appropriate. Parents wishing to discuss their child’s situation may contact the school administrator.

All frequently occupied areas of facilities are comprehensively cleaned, then sanitized/disinfected during after-business hours each day. During the day, custodial staff clean and disinfect high-use and high-touch areas at regular intervals. Cleaning/disinfecting protocols are responsive to the needs of the school at any given time.

Entry to school facilities may be limited to those persons with immediate and legitimate educational or business purposes that cannot be handled via telephone, email or video conference. Please contact your school for current guidance.