HANCOCK — Hancock Superintendent Steve Patchin in a Friday email, released the 2020-21 Hancock Schools health policies that have been adopted by administration, as more than 75% of all students have chosen to return to face-to-face instruction when school begins on Sept. 8.

“We have fielded many questions from parents about these, so we wanted to share some key points,” Patchin said. “Please call my team if you have any questions regarding it.

Policies are subject to change, he said, based on health department directives, executive orders and new CDC guidance. While much of the policy content remains unchanged from the past, there is some new emphasis on certain aspects that follow CDC guidelines, he said.

“There is also guidance on policies surrounding the COVID-19 process,” Patchin said. “It will be important that we all follow these policies in order to have a safe and productive year of intellectual and personal growth.”

• Stay home if you are ill:

Administration will be requiring all parents, staff, and teachers to self-check themselves for symptoms of illness before they enter our buildings each day. Symptoms include:

– Fever or chills (fever is temperature above 100.4 F)

– Cough

– Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing

– Fatigue

– Muscle or body aches

– Headache

– New loss of taste or smell

– Sore throat

– Congestion or runny nose

– Nausea or vomiting

– Diarrhea

• Per the following CDC guidance, “Students who are sick with contagious illness should not attend school, but most illnesses do not require the same level or length of isolation that COVID-19 does. Excluding students from school longer than what is called for in existing school policies (e.g., fever free without medication for 24-hours) based on COVID-19 symptoms along risks repeated, long-term unnecessary student absence.”

• Following CDC guidance, the policy requires that students and staff “stay home when sick until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever (temperature of 100.4 or higher) or signs of a fever (chills, feeling very warm, flushed appearance, or sweating) without use of fever-reducing medicine (e.g., Tylenol). Policies that encourage and support staying home when sick will help prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (and other illnesses including flu) and help keep schools open.” This includes not being free of any other symptoms for at least 24 hours.

• Students or staff that contract symptoms while at school:

Students who develop fever or become ill with symptoms of COVID-19 at school will be sent to the office. Once there, they will be placed in a specified room, under supervision and required to wear a face covering, and wait for their parents to be picked up from school. They will not be allowed to ride the bus home with other students.

Parents with students (who are) ill with one or more of the listed symptoms will have the option of having their child tested by calling UP Health System-Portage clinic system at a location to named soon. Health officials at UP Health System will provide directions of how to proceed through the testing process. COVID-19 testing is a choice, not required by law.

• Students/staff/teachers testing positive for the COVID-19 virus:

Once a student tests positive for the COVID-19 virus, district leadership will:

– Notify officials at the Western U.P. Health Department (WUPHD) of the positive case.

– Send an email out to students, parents, staff, and teachers that someone in the Bulldog community has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Following the law, students or employees will not be identified by name. Confidentiality will be a priority.

– Comply with any health department requests to provide a list of individuals who the person came into contact with during the past 48 hours.

Information of the individual that tested positive to COVID-19, or the individuals they had come in close contact with within the past 48 hours, will be kept confidential and only be shared with health department officials. This follows all legal requirements.

Students, staff, or teachers testing positive for COVID-19 or coming in close contact with that individual must comply with WUPHD and CDC recommendations regarding quarantining before returning to school.

• Updates

This policy will be periodically updated as guidance from the CDC and state and local health officials change.

• Note: Hancock will be recommending that students bring their own reusable water bottle to use throughout the day. There are filling stations and water fountains available to refill them that will be cleaned on a regular basis.