Dear Marcola School District Community,
The safety of our students and staff is the Marcola School District’s top priority. Over the past few days there have been several conversations and comments regarding what the dIstrict’s responsibilities are when a student or staff member has, or is suspected of having a communicable disease - and what responsibility does the district have to share information with the greater Marcola community. I’d like to walk you through our protocols to clarify what we do in these instances.
When one of our schools or the district office is notified that a student or staff member has or is being tested for a communicable disease, the Marcola School District immediately notifies the Lane County Public Health Department. We follow their direction as to whether or not the district needs to notify the school community about the illness. When the Lane County Public Health Officer feels that our community needs to be notified, we work closely with their office to produce a communication that provides information about the communicable disease - such as symptoms - if and when individuals should see their doctor, and steps families should take to prevent the spread - all while making sure we do not violate the sick individual’s privacy as outlined under HIPAA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.)
If the Lane County Public Health Officer determines that our students and staff are not at risk, he or his staff will instruct us to not send out any communication regarding the matter.
However, out of an abundance of caution, whenever we are notified that a student or staff member may have or has come in contact with an individual with a communicable disease - regardless of what the Lane County Public Health Department determines - the Marcola School District increases and monitors all cleaning protocols in all district buildings. This includes:
Utilizing two different hospital-grade cleaners/disinfectants.
In each classroom, desks, chairs, countertops, dispensers, and faucets are sprayed with the cleaner. It is left on the surface for at least three minutes to kill any germs and then wiped off.
The same procedures are used in all restrooms, including the countertops, faucets, dispensers, mirrors, toilets, toilet seats, and wipe grab bars.
In addition, the district utilizes foggers in our buildings a couple times a month. We began using the foggers during the pandemic, as it has been shown to kill that virus.
I hope this has helped clarify our procedures for notifying the community about an illness and the steps we take to provide clean and safe classrooms for our students. If you have questions or concerns, I invite you to contact me or one of the other district administrators.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
Sincerely,
Mr. A
Superintendent