Health Office Update including Graduated Return to Play Protocol: Jan. 20
January 20, 2022
To the TA Community:
Here is our latest health and Covid information for our school community.
Current cases: Between January14 and 19, over the long weekend, families notified us of 20 new cases among students. Additionally, the PCR surveillance testing results this week revealed an additional 3 cases yesterday. These 23 cases are spread out over all 6 grades, 7 through 12.
What should families do? We assume at this point that there is community spread on the campus, and it’s possible your student has come into contact with one or more students who have tested positive over the last weeks. Please keep your eye out for symptoms: sore throat and runny nose seem to be the primary Omicron symptoms.
If at any point your child develops symptoms:
- Have your child get a Covid test.
- Your child should not leave home, except to get medical care.
- While at home, your child should stay apart from other people in the household, especially anyone who is at increased risk of getting very sick, like people who are older or have health conditions. Other household members do not need to quarantine unless they develop symptoms.
- Contact your child’s health care provider by phone to find out if your child should be evaluated. Let them know your child had an exposure to someone who was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Thank you for understanding that, due to medical privacy laws, we are not able to release the names of the individuals at TA with COVID-19.
Regarding Athletics and PE – “Graduated Return to Play” Protocol: Any student who has had Covid must get medical clearance to return to active participation in a physical education class or athletic team practices and games. Once we receive documentation of the medical clearance, we then implement the VPA-recommended guidelines for safe return to play after Covid. More details here: Graduated Return to Play Protocol. To read the letter from the VPA click here.
Please call Nurse Ellen or the Vermont Department of Health at 802-863-7240 (option 8) if you have questions or concerns. More information is available at the Health Department website: healthvermont.gov/COVID-19. To view the TA Health Office page on our website, click here.
On behalf of the TA Health Office & the TA Covid/Safety Committee,
School Nurse Ellen Gnaedinger
Dean of Students Siobhan Lopez