ECMS Covid 19 Pediatric Task Force

Escambia County Council

Memo TO:

Escambia County School Board

FROM:

Covid-19 Pediatric Task Force

DATE:

August 14, 2020

RE:

Safe School Reopening Recommendations for Escambia County

In an effort to provide the safest school reopening for children in Escambia County in the midst of this unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic, concerned local pediatric health care providers in conjunction with Escambia County Medical Society formed a task force to discuss measures that can help facilitate this process. The Covid-19 Pediatric Task Force is a partnership of local pediatricians from various practices, the Escambia County Council of PTA/ PTSA, the Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart, the Andrews Institute, and Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Pensacola. In keeping with the recommendation made by the CDC and the FDOE for school districts to collaborate with local health officials to implement protocols to open schools safely, the Covid-19 Pediatric Task Force would like to propose the following measures for your consideration: 

Parents and caregivers should understand the full spectrum of risks involved in both in-person and virtual learning options.

This will allow parents to weigh the relative health risks of Covid-19 transmission from in- person instruction against the educational, social- behavioral, and emotional risks of providing no in-person instruction when deciding between these two options. (The CDC has an excellent decision tool to assist with this listed in the parent resources below.)



Daily self-monitoring should be required.

Parents and caregivers who select the traditional in-person option should be required to monitor their children for signs of an infectious illness every day PRIOR to sending their children to school. A screening tool should be utilized to determine when parents should keep their children at home instead of sending them to school. (Parents can use the attached sample home screening form for

this. Consider mailing/ emailing this form to parents or sending it home with students.) 

Students exposed to Covid-19, such as a family member in the home who has Covid-19, should quarantine at home.

If someone else in the home has confirmed Covid-19 and that family member was not able to remain isolated in a separate room, the student should remain home and monitor symptoms. The student’s quarantine period should be 14 days starting from the day when the family member’s quarantine ended. Students who have tested positive for Covid-19 in the previous 90 days are excluded from this and are not required to quarantine, but they should monitor their symptoms.

(The CDC guidelines for this are in the parent resources below.)



Students who are sick should not attend school in-person and students who become ill at school will need to be picked up immediately/ in a timely manner. Parents should be required to comply with this guideline.

An acknowledgement should be signed by parents and caregivers stating they are aware of the need to perform the above daily screening on their children and they will comply with the CDC guidelines by keeping children home when they are ill or when they have been exposed to someone with Covid-19. Everyone has a responsibility in keeping our children and teachers safe this year and this acknowledgment will help emphasize the major role our parents will have in doing this. By not complying with the CDC guidelines, many children and their family members along with our teachers and staff will be at an increased risk of transmission of Covid-19 and its harmful effects.



Cloth facemasks should be required when possible.

When social distancing is not possible and students/ staff are within 6 ft. of each other, cloth face coverings should be strongly encouraged (when feasible and not contraindicated due to health reasons) to reduce the spread of Covid-19. Other adaptations and alternatives should be considered when facemask or social distancing is not possible. (The attached CDC guideline outlines school situations when facemask should be worn.)



Cloth facemasks should be an essential school supply.

Include a minimum of five cloth face coverings on all school supply lists as an essential school supply and provide cloth face coverings as needed to students, teachers, staff, or visitors who do not have them available. Ensure that students and staff are aware of the correct use of cloth face coverings, including wearing cloth face coverings over the nose and mouth and securely around the face. Also

ensure students are utilizing clean face covering each day. (See the attached CDC document on this below.) 

Designate a dedicated area at each school where students who become ill while at school can be isolated immediately to reduce further spread of their illness.

Ensure that students who must utilize the nurse’s station for medication administration are not exposed to students that are ill and that there is a “well” and “sick” school clinic identified at each school. The nurses and techs who will care for ill children while at school should have the appropriated PPE available (N-95 masks, face shields, gloves, etc.) to protect themselves while students await their parents for pick up.



Provide education to parents on the mitigation strategies currently in place to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in the school setting.

This should include students, teachers, and staff staying home when sick; appropriately covering coughs and sneezes; wearing cloth face coverings; social distancing/ avoid overcrowding at all times; maximizing classroom ventilation; cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces; washing hands often with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol when allowed; and any other measures being taken to reassure parents.



Provide information on the local Covid-19 testing sites for children and their families when they become ill or have been exposed to someone with Covid-19 while at school. Parents should know they have the option of getting tested for Covid-19 at specific locations listed on the MyEscambia.com website if for whatever reason this can not be done by their primary care doctor.

Additional testing locations for children will need to be identified when there is an influx of cases. Improved access to rapid Covid-19 testing is also needed.



Provide clear and concise information to parents on the school board’s policy and systematic actions to be taken when 1.) A child becomes ill at school and 2.) A child or staff member at school has Covid-19.



Post all of the information above along with the parent resources listed below on the school district’s website. Utilize social media as well to reach parents. Do a mass call out to all parents to notify them that this information is available and to notify them of the need to monitor their children’s symptoms daily and sign the acknowledgement. Be as transparent as possible and keep parents up to date on Covid-19 conditions as it relates to the school district.

We thank you for taking the time to review the aforementioned recommendations. The health, safety, and well-being of students, teachers, staff, and their families are the most important consideration in making these recommendations. Your timely consideration in this matter is also greatly appreciated. Thank you for allowing our task force of local pediatricians and PTA leaders to provide input and collaborate with you on this endeavor. If you have any questions or concerns or if you would like to meet to discuss this further, please feel free to contact Dr. Michelle Grier-Hall, Director of Pediatrics, Community Health Northwest Florida (mgrier-hall@healthcarewithinreach.org) or Samarys Kervin, President, ECC PTA (presidenteccpta@gmail.com). Thank you!

Additional Covid-19 Resources for Parents: 1. CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schoolschildcare/decision-tool.html 2. CDC Family Checklist for Going Back to School: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schoolschildcare/parent-checklist.html 3. Escambia County Covid-19 Testing Locations/ My Escambia.com: https://myescambia.com/covid-19-information-for-escambia-county#testingsites 4. AAP: https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19infections/clinical-guidance/covid-19-planning-considerations-return-to-inperson-education-in-schools/ 5. Healthy Children: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthissues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/default.aspx 6. CDC Quarantine Guidelines: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-youare-sick/quarantine.html 7. Nemours Kids Health Covid-19 Information for Parents: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/?search=y&q=Coronavirus (COVID19)&datasource=kidshealth&lang=english&start=0&section=parents_teens_kids

Daily Covid-19 Home Screening for Escambia County Students Students and Parents: Please complete the checklist below every morning before going to school. Students with illness or close contact with someone with Covid-19 should NOT attend school. Please answer questions honestly and to the best of your ability. Thank you for your cooperation!

Section 1: Symptoms Below is a list of symptoms currently reported for COVID-19. Please check for the most current information on the CDC website. If your child has any of the following symptoms, that indicates a possible illness that may decrease the student’s ability to learn and also puts him/ her at risk for spreading illness to others.

In the last 24 hours, have you experienced any of the following symptoms? 

Fever (temperature of 100.0 F or above) , feeling feverish or chills



New uncontrolled cough that causes difficulty breathing. (For students with a chronic allergic/ asthmatic cough, this would be a change in your cough from baseline.)



Muscle pain/ body aches (not associated with recent strenuous exercise)



Sore throat



Diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain



Congestion and runny nose



Repeated shaking with chills



New onset of a severe headache, especially with a fever



Loss of taste or smell Section 2: Close Contact/ Potential Exposure In the last 14 days, have you/ your child done the following?



Had close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 (Close contact is within 6 ft. of a person with Covid-19 for >15 minutes. This would include family members in the home.)



Traveled to or lived in an area with high Covid-19 community transmission or with a high number of Covid-19 cases.

YES to any question in Section 1 but NO to any questions in Section 2: The student SHOULD NOT GO TO SCHOOL and would be excused from school in accordance with existing school illness management policy (e.g., until symptom-free for 24 hours without fever reducing medications). At any point in the illness if the parent feels as though the symptoms warrant an evaluation by a healthcare provider, the student should have this this done.

YES to any question in Section 1 and YES to any question in Section 2: The student should NOT GO TO SCHOOL and should be referred for evaluation by their healthcare provider and possible testing.