March 20

Please visit our COVID-19/Novel Coronavirus webpage for District updates and other important information.

March 4, 2020

Sartell-St. Stephen Families:

We, as a District, are aware of the concern with the COVID-19 virus (Coronavirus). At this time, we are following the recommendations that have been provided by the Minnesota Department of Health, Center for Disease Control and Stearns County Public Health. 

Our current health risk of COVID-19 in our area remains low. Our communications with the Minnesota Department of Health, Center for Disease Control, and Stearns County Public Health will continue.  We will follow the recommendations provided to us on how we will monitor and implement any new or updated procedures made by these agencies.

Our school district guidelines for addressing illness in our schools are in line with the current recommended procedures.   We would ask that parents/guardians review Am I Well Enough to go to School? and follow this in the decisionmaking of keeping your child home.  

The best preventative procedures at this time are:

• wash your hands,
• cover your cough and sneezes,
• clean frequently touched surfaces and
• stay home when sick.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention Resources:

• Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives (webpage with links to additional details)
• Handwashing: Keeping your Family Healthy (two-page PDF)

FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
With flu/illness season upon us we would like to emphasize our general practice for ill students. If a student has:

• had a fever of 100 or more, he/she should stay home for 24 hours after the temperature returns to normal without fever-reducing medications.
• vomited or had diarrhea he/she should stay home until 24 hours after the last episode.
• a rash that may be disease-related or you do not know the cause, check with your healthcare provider before sending him/her to school
• started antibiotics, please keep him/her home until he/she has had a full 24 hour course of them.

Keeping your child home when ill allows him/her time to rest and prevents exposing classmates/faculty to possible illness. Please inform us of any illnesses your child is being treated for.  This allows us to track and report illness as required by the MN Department of Health.