Teaneck Public School District COVID-19 Response Guidance

Cameron E. Cox - Coordinator of District Safety December 9, 2020
Updated: March 11, 2021

Internal COVID-19 Response Team

External Information Guiding COVID-19 Response

COVID-19 Notification Process

• Staff contact immediate supervisor or Parent/Guardian contacts student’s Principal.

• Supervisor/Principal immediately contacts District COVID-19 Response Coordinator.

• COVID-19 Response Coordinator initiates district-level notifications, as well as notification for township/city or residence.

• District COVID-19 Response Team will assess the extent of exposure on a case by case basis.

• Quarantine timelines will be guided by current CDC/NJDOH guidance with the input of Teaneck Dept. of Health.

COVID-19 Exposure Quarantine • All cases follow up-to-date CDC & NJDOH quarantine guidelines:

– Incubation period of SARS-Cov-2 is minimally, 2-14 days, thus the recommended a minimum 14-day quarantine.
– ALL cases and Direct Contacts are treated as positive until confirmed or ruled out by a Nasal PCR Test.
– Median incubation period is 5 days.

• CDC released optional shorten quarantine guidelines on 12/2/2020:

– NJDOH reinforced that 14-day quarantine is still recommended to reduce the spread of the virus within our state.
– Quarantine can end after 10 days without testing AND if no symptoms ever presented within the individual.
– Quarantine can end after 7 days, with a NEGATIVE Nasal PCR Test AND if symptoms NEVER presented within the daily monitoring.

• CDC noted on 12/2/2020, that under their OPTIONAL shortened quarantine guidelines, post-quarantine transmission can still be as high as 12%

COVID-19 Exposure: Area(s) Closure

COVID-19 Exposure: Area(s) Closure

• NJDOH COVID-19 Regional Risk Matrix currently places Teaneck, the Northeast Region (Bergen, Essex, & Hudson Counties), as well as the state overall, in the ORANGE (High Risk) range.

• NJDOH COVID-19 Regional Risk Matrix under the High Risk Range recommends at least a 14-day (building) closure / remote learning environment if:
– 2 or more linked cases in a 14 day period, due to a common activity without any other contact. – Community outbreak confirmed by LHD due to community event or overall rising cases.
– 2 or more cases in multiple locations within district, that are otherwise unrelated.

•	 NJDOH recommends school closure anytime area rises to the Very High Risk range in COVID-19 Regional Risk Matrix, until transmissions decrease per LHD.

• A temporary closure may also be considered for a period of 2-5 days if a student or staff member attended school while potentially infectious, before being confirmed as having COVID-19. This short-term dismissal allows time for local health officials to gain a better understanding of the COVID-19 situation impacting the school and perform full contact tracing.

• After switching to remote learning due to high levels of viral transmission in the school or local geographic community, districts or schools should wait a minimum of 14 days before bringing any students back for in-person learning. This timeframe is sufficient so that most people in the school community who will develop symptoms as a result of a school exposure could be identified and self-isolate, as appropriate.

• District Executive Administration currently meets with Township Manager and Township Health Officer (LHD) every Monday morning to review past week’s trends.

•

COVID-19: Medical Based Decision
Making
COVID-19 Response Team: communicates with the District Physicians of Record at

least twice a week, about potential case and or changing guidance.

– District Physicians of Record were consulted prior to Beta testing the Health Tracker System, as well as reviewed the data collected during the Beta phase.

– District Physicians of Record agreed with the full implementation of the Health Tracker System as a means for monitoring individual baselines.

– Medical Professional will review cases in the caution (yellow) range, during in-person instruction.

• SECONDARY CONTACTS: defined as contact of an asymptomatic individual, who is direct contact of a case of COVID positivity.
– Contacts of Contacts: should monitor symptoms and personally consider testing.

– Contacts of Contacts: quarantining is not recommended Michele Schumeyer, RN, BSN (3/11/2021)
Public Health Nurse Holy Name Health Center

COVID-19 Communication Expectations

• DIRECT CONTACTS:

– Parents of district students will receive a call from their Building Administrator, followed by a letter from the district.

– Staff will receive a call from a member of the COVID Response Team, followed by a letter from the district.

• BUILDING NOTIFICATIONS:

– Weekly letters will only be issued when a Contact Tracing Investigation occurs.

– Letters will be based on the building’s current week’s status, not the cumulative.

– Status will be tracked Saturday - Friday.

COVID-19 Process Conclusions (1 of 2)

• HRM maintains the utmost confidentiality of all staff’s health information.

• Building Principals will maintain the confidentiality of any students who may contract COVID-19.

• District Administration must maintain weekly meetings with Township Health Dept. in an effort to closely and continually monitor changing trends:

– Will provide testing opportunity to district staff and students at least twice monthly.

– Infection / Positivity rates are not hard stops or benchmarks for beginning or ceasing activity.

– Must evaluate each potential case on its own merit, and on a case-by-case basis.

COVID-19 Process Conclusion (2 of 2)

Keys to a healthy District for all

● Be HONEST about your symptoms, if you are sick please stay HOME!

● Wear your mask!

● Practice social distancing whenever possible!

● Wash your hands whenever possible!

● Disinfect and minimize sharing of items!

Supporting Documents

•	NJ Dept of Health: Recommendation to LHD and K-12 Schools:

– https://www.state.nj.us/health/cd/documents/topics/NCOV/Recom mendationsForLocalHealthDepts_K12Schools.pdf

– https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/covid2019_professionals.shtm l

THANK YOU