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March 3, 2020

Dear School Community, Students, Families and District Staff:

RE: COVID 19 / Coronavirus Update

The Canton Public School District, in conjunction with public safety officials, is continuing to closely follow the spread of the respiratory disease, learning yesterday of new cases detected in New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, including one confirmed case in Norfolk County.

Knowing this information, high-level collaboration continues with the Canton and Massachusetts Departments of Public Health. Although changes in the spread of disease have occurred, state-level guidance directions remain the same as the February 24th memo and are being followed by the CPS district nursing and maintenance staffs. Many of these directions were already CPS practices.

Information on the coronavirus can be accessed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website and the new MA DPH website which also offers printable handouts in multiple languages:

CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.htm
DPH: www.mass.gov/2019coronavirus.

Communication and Preventative Measures

We continuously engage in daily strategic communication with state and local departments of public health and safety officials. These updates and information on the coronavirus is used to guide school-based decisions surrounding the virus.

We continue to take preventative measures like disinfecting high-traffic areas, emphasizing effective hand washing practices (see below) and adherence to our “CPS Attendance Guidelines” for students, families and staff members:

Free from fever, vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to school or work. If a student or staff member stays home or is sent home for one of these reasons, they are not able to return the next day, and instead need to wait until the following day.

In addition, according to the CDC, the spread of disease is prevented by:

  • Performing proper hand hygiene
  • Covering your cough
  • Staying home when ill
  • Receiving preventative vaccines such as the flu shot
  • Remaining 6 feet away from individuals who are sick

The district is prioritizing proper hand hygiene at all of the schools with signage and announcement reminders. Families can help by also following the CDC Handwashing Protocols at home: https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html

  1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
  2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
  3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
  4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
  5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

In addition, wash your hands often to remain healthy, especially during these key times: Before and after eating, after visiting the bathroom, after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing, before-during-after preparing food, before-during-after caring for someone who is sick, after any contact with bodily fluids, after touching garbage, after touching pets, after changing diapers and/or assisting a child using the bathroom. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how- handwashing.html

Thank you and we hope that this helps you make informed decisions about the health and wellness of you and your families.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Fischer-Mueller, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.