EUFSD Health Services Update
A Special Message From The Elmsford Union Free School District
Greetings EUFSD family,
I hope my email finds you well!
As a follow-up to the most recent news about New Rochelle schools, we continue to monitor the developments of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and I write to let you know that we receive periodic updates from federal, state, and local departments of health on this matter. Over the past two days, I received briefings from county officials who provided guidance from the Westchester County Health Department and I attended a meeting yesterday with County Executive Latimer to discuss county-wide efforts at responding to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), as well as plan for our school district response.
As I communicated last week, we continue to plan for any circumstances that may require us to adjust our school schedule. This includes working to develop a plan for distance learning, should that become necessary. It was stressed in our meetings that any decisions made about school closure will be in consultation with the Westchester Department of Health and with appropriate medical guidance. I will continue to update and provide resources on our website, which you may access by clicking on the following link: https://www.eufsd.org/domain/243.
We recently received guidance from the New York State Education Department that explains what we shared previously about travel-related considerations and school cleaning practices. It offers direction on what is referred to as “non-pharmaceutical interventions,” which we ask everyone to stay home when sick. The schools have a protocol for isolating ill students and staff when they may have symptoms and we also will communicate with the NYS and Westchester County Health Departments if our health services staff or administrators have questions. We stress that if any staff or student is not feeling well, please stay home.
We were informed that if there is a COVID-19 case related to a school, the district will be contacted by the NYS Health Department in consultation with the Westchester County Department of Health. The guidance requires the closure of a school for 24 hours upon finding that a student or employee was present in the school prior to being confirmed as a COVID-19 case. The notification of whether a school is to close and when it may reopen will be made by our local health department.
I reiterate that our Buildings and Grounds staff are taking proactive measures toward cleaning our schools. As previously stated, we increased cleaning efforts especially in high contact surfaces that are touched by many different people, such as light switches, handrails, door knobs/handles, and high traffic areas.
As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Baiocco
Superintendent of Schools