COVID-19 and School Closure (Click here for Spanish)
- Historically, schools have considered closing when experiencing flu outbreaks if absenteeism approaches 20 percent
- While closing schools can slow the spread of the virus, it creates a significant hardship for working parents/guardians
- The decision to close schools in Italy and Japan was made by the government
- The CDC recommends “social distancing during severe flu outbreaks”
- The CDC is preparing guidance for states in order to improve their ability to respond to an outbreak
- We would anticipate that any closing based upon an outbreak of COVID-19 would be directed by the Indiana Government and Health Officials
- The CDC has recommended that schools have Tele-learning or E-Learning systems in place for the continuance of education
- Should the State direct schools to close for an extended period of time, schools would have to develop a plan of make- up dates that could include, E-Learning, possible Saturdays, and or an extension into the summer. The guidelines for this decision would be made by the State of Indiana
What River Forest is Doing Now?
- River Forest has created a COVID-19 Task Force, which includes members of the Administrative Team, and Local Health Care Providers
- As always, all school buildings are disinfected daily
- Student and staff hand-washing is encouraged
- Students are screened by nursing and sent home when deemed necessary due to illness
- River Forest has created a line of communication which will be available on the River Forest Web-site and information will be updated with links to the CDC, updated news, and information for parents.
- River Forest will provide updates and information on the Web-site and through All Call notifications
What Can You Do?
- Encourage members of your household to wash hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub. See CDC or RFCSC website for a video on how to properly wash your hands and for additional ways to prevent illness.
- Keep your child home from school if they are sick. For help determining when to keep your child home, see “HOW SICK IS TOO SICK” on the RFCSC website (see link below).
- When calling your child off, please be specific about what symptoms they are having. This helps us track illness trends.
How Sick is Too Sick? ¿Qué tan enfermo es demasiado enfermo?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention