Communicable Disease Plan

Silver Falls School District follows the Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Health Authority Communicable Disease Guidance for Schools (PDF).

This Communicable Disease Management Plan is guided by the identified key practices for reducing the spread of communicable diseases in schools, supported by recommendations from the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Communications and notifications

Communication protocols

• Communications will be sent to families at the start of school, educating and reinforcing families to notify the school if their student has a communicable disease. All broad communication related to communicable disease events will be available to families in English and Spanish.
• A communicable disease letter will be sent to all families at the start of school and will include the ODE and OHA symptom-based exclusion chart.
• With the school nurse's coordination, in times of high illness transmission, building administrators are encouraged to send staff and families routine reminders on keeping sick students home and, if applicable, disease-specific information and guidance.
• Confidentiality will be maintained to the greatest extent possible when communicating information regarding communicable disease. Staff will be frequently reminded of the importance of confidentiality.
• While the affected cohorts may be disclosed, the identity of the individuals diagnosed will not be disclosed. It is a violation of privacy to disclose health information to other staff members, students, or community members.
• Any inquiries about affected individuals should be deferred to the building administrator.
• The school nurse consultant will be the point person of contact with county-level communicable disease teams.

Important contacts

• Marion County Health Department, Communicable Disease Reporting Line 503-588-5621
• Marion County Health & Human Services, Communicable Disease team cd_team@co.marion.or.us
• Clackamas County Health Department, Communicable Disease Reporting Line 503-655-8411
• Clackamas County Schools & Childcare team ph-phobteam@clackamas.us

Exposure notifications

• Students whose health protocols, 504 plans, or IEPs include being notified for any communicable disease within their cohort will be notified by nursing as applicable.
• In the event of a communicable disease outbreak, cohort exposure notifications will be sent to families and staff of affected cohorts, as possible and identifiable, per the guidance of the Local Public Health Authority (LPHA).
• Students whose health protocols, 504 plans, or IEPs include being notified of potential COVID-19 exposures will receive notifications if there is a positive or presumptive case reported in their cohort. Students within the Functional Skills, Basic Skills, and Community Transition programs will receive cohort exposure notifications if there is a positive or presumptive COVID-19 case in their cohort. Nursing will coordinate these notifications.
• To support the exposure notification process, cohort and exposure information will be obtained using attendance records and class lists. Bus cohorts, per First Student bus services, will be considered to support the exposure notification process for transportation services as needed.
• Each school building has an existing sign-in process for itinerant staff, volunteers, and visitors, which will be continued and referenced as needed.
• Itinerant staff who do not maintain a consistent schedule, including maintenance, nutrition, special services, and administration, are encouraged to maintain an individual daily log or calendar with a running four-week history of their time in each school building and who they were in contact with at each site.

Screening and isolation measures

Screening students and staff for illness

• Parents and guardians will be encouraged to follow the ODE and OHA symptom-based exclusion chart daily before sending their child to school. During times of high illness transmission, schools will be encouraged to send reminders of the importance of this.
• Staff will be encouraged to follow the ODE and OHA symptom-based exclusion chart daily before coming to work.
• Nursing will refer to LPHA guidance and ODE and OHA Communicable Disease Guidance to guide school exclusion decisions.
• Student health information is collected during student registration in the student information system. Registration information is reviewed by School Nurse Consultants, and health protocols are created as necessary and shared with applicable school staff.

Restricting potentially sick persons from physical contact with others

• Each school has an identified space to isolate a symptomatic student if needed. Each school is equipped with the following personal protective equipment (PPE): medical-grade face masks, face shields, safety glasses, gloves, and disposable gowns. Staff are provided with resources on how to properly use PPE, with visual aids.
• Each building secretary will report large clusters of illness-related absences to nursing. Nursing will then investigate and report to the health department as necessary. Reporting thresholds are:
  • At the school level: 30 percent or more of students absent due to illness, above the normal absent rate.
  • At the cohort level: 20 percent or more of students absent due to illness, above the normal absent rate.
• The ODE and OHA symptom-based exclusion chart will be referenced by secretaries and school staff when talking with parents and guardians reporting illness-related absences, as able.
• Students receiving routine health services are encouraged not to use the same space used for isolating students, and instead to receive their services in the health room or front office, depending on building space. Staff are encouraged to tend to simple first aid needs within the classroom or playground as able. Each classroom will have a first aid kit to help support this.
• The district has an adequate supply of face coverings in adult and child sizes in the event that a staff member or student needs them. They are also available in each health room and classroom first aid kit. The SFSD Maintenance Department leads the organization, ordering, and inventory of district PPE supply.

Environmental management

Cleaning and disinfecting

• Cleaning and disinfection follow the district's protocols, per the Maintenance Department.
• All frequently touched surfaces within the school, such as door handles, sink handles, and drinking fountains, should be cleaned and disinfected at least daily and between use as much as possible.
• In times of high illness transmission or outbreaks, nursing and building staff will communicate to maintenance the need for deep, thorough cleanings of affected classrooms and shared spaces. Recommendations from the LPHA will be coordinated by nursing, building administration, and maintenance.

Sharing objects

In times of high illness transmission, schools will be encouraged to limit the sharing of objects among students and staff:

• Ensure adequate supplies to minimize sharing of high-touch materials to the greatest extent possible, for example by assigning each student their own supplies, or limit use of supplies and equipment to one group of children at a time and clean and disinfect between use.
• All shared equipment among staff, such as the copier, fax, laminator, and microwave, is recommended to be disinfected between uses.
• School-designated technology will be cleaned and disinfected between uses.
• If individual supplies are a challenge, it is recommended that students who are immunocompromised have their own supplies.
• In times of high illness transmission or outbreaks, temporarily halting the use of drinking fountains will be considered.

Ventilation

To aid in illness mitigation:

• Portable HEPA filtration devices should be placed in areas found to have inadequate ventilation, per Maintenance, and in spaces with students at increased risk for complications related to respiratory illnesses.
• Classrooms and shared spaces will be encouraged to increase outdoor ventilation by opening doors and windows, unless doing so creates a health or safety risk.
• Fans can be used to aid in air circulation, moving indoor air out of open windows.
• Classrooms will be encouraged to use outdoor learning spaces as much as possible.
• Specifics of ventilation mitigation measures are determined by the SFSD Maintenance Department.

Preventative measures

Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette

• All students and staff are encouraged to follow strict hand hygiene, either washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer with 60 to 95 percent alcohol.
• Hand washing with soap and water is strongly recommended at these times:
  • Before and after meals
  • After using the restroom
  • After coughing, sneezing, blowing the nose, or handling used tissues
  • After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
  • When hands are visibly soiled
• Hand hygiene with hand sanitizer may be appropriate at these times:
  • Before and after using playground equipment, including recess and PE
  • Before and after using a hand-operated water fountain
  • After touching an animal
  • After touching garbage
• Hand sanitizer dispensers are recommended to be installed near entry doors and other high-traffic areas.
• Students should be taught, and regularly reminded by staff, of the utmost importance of hand hygiene and respiratory hygiene etiquette.
• Students who need additional support to achieve hand hygiene will receive that support from staff.
• Age-appropriate hand washing visual aids will be placed in each classroom, sink, and restroom. See the CDC hand washing poster (PDF).

Keeping informed

Silver Falls School District will continue to maintain the following:

• A strong relationship between the LPHA and Nursing Services regarding communicable disease response.
• Nursing Services attendance at ODE office hours and OHA webinars as offered.
• Training for all district staff on communicable disease management at the beginning of the school year, via required Vector training.

Special considerations

Individuals at increased risk for severe illness

Accommodations regarding additional communicable disease precautions will be reflected in individual students' 504 plans, IEPs, or health protocol plans.

Classroom guidance for illness prevention

Exclusion of illness

• If students present with symptoms, listed in when to keep a student home, send them to the health room for further assessment and possible dismissal home.
• Classroom families have the symptom-based guidance to reference when students are ill. Staff are to follow it as well.

Ventilation

• Windows and doors are opened to allow ventilation, as long as it does not pose any safety risks.
• Fans are used to aid in air circulation, moving indoor air out of open windows.
• If a classroom has a HEPA filtration device placed by maintenance, it is turned on and operating.
• Outdoor learning spaces are used as able.

Hand and respiratory hygiene

• Staff and students wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds at these times:
  • Before and after meals
  • After using the restroom
  • After coughing, sneezing, blowing the nose, or handling used tissues
• Staff and students wash hands or use hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol at these times:
  • Upon arrival
  • Before and after using a hand-operated water fountain
  • Before and after using playground equipment
• Tissues are available by the classroom sink or near the hand sanitizer.
• Reminders are given to students regarding respiratory etiquette, covering coughs and sneezes with an elbow or a tissue.
• Age-appropriate visuals for hand washing are posted by the hand washing area. See the CDC hand washing poster (PDF).

Cleaning and disinfecting

• Hand soap is kept in adequate supply at the sink area.
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing 60 to 95 percent alcohol is kept in adequate supply at the classroom entrance.
• Classrooms are stocked with cleaning and disinfecting materials, per the SFSD Maintenance Department's protocols.
• High-touch surfaces are cleaned throughout the day:
  • Door handles and the surrounding area of entrance doors
  • Light switches and cabinet handles
  • Sinks, faucets, and countertops
  • Tables, desks, and chairs
  • White boards
  • Shared electronic devices such as keyboards, phones, fax machines, and copy machines
• Shared items are cleaned between use.

Other classroom practices

• Each classroom has a first aid kit with extra face coverings, first aid supplies, and gloves.
• If illness increases in the classroom or school, consider pausing group activities until illness rates improve.
• If illness increases in the classroom or school, consider sanitizing shared classroom supplies and halting the use of shared supplies that cannot be sanitized.
• Create an environment where individual decisions to wear a face covering are honored.
• Students and staff returning from COVID-19 illness are recommended to wear a well-fitting mask while around others for 10 days from the onset of symptoms.

When to keep a student home