Dear Andrew School Parents & Guardians:
We understand that the Novel Coronavirus, now known as COVID-19, is causing much anxiety in our community, state, and the world. The Andrew Community School District is working closely with our local and state public health departments to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff. In addition to this information letter, we encourage you to access the resources in the links below to inform yourself and educate your children.
Reminder: Illness Policy Updates
What is Known
The virus causing COVID-19 is a new coronavirus that has not been previously identified and causes a respiratory illness ranging from a mild cold-like illness to severe respiratory disease.
Similar to influenza, people who are most likely to have severe complications from COVID-19 are believed to be the very old, very young and those with other chronic/underlying medical conditions.
There is no vaccine or treatment currently available for COVID-19, so prevention is very important.
There are currently NO confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Iowa. However, experts predict there will eventually be community spread.
How The Virus Spreads
COVID-19 is believed to spread primarily the same way the common cold or flu spreads—through respiratory droplets that are produced when someone coughs or sneezes.
People who are most at risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 are those who have been in close contact (within about 6 feet) with someone who has the disease.
People are thought to be most contagious when they are most symptomatic (the sickest).
What You Can Do Now
Keep children home when they are sick; including those with acute respiratory symptoms.
Teach your children to always cover their cough and sneezes with a tissue or elbow.
Remind them to wash their hands with soap and water (or use hand sanitizer) regularly.
Tell children to avoid touching their mouth and nose since that is how germs get into the body.
Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects (everyday household disinfectants are fine).
Plan for when community spread occurs.
Ensure you have a plan to designate a caregiver, such as a family member or neighbor, for a sick child(ren) if you can’t stay home.
Be sure you receive timely communication from the school by making sure they have updated phone numbers and email addresses so they can send important updates.
Find up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Iowa at https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus and follow IDPH on Facebook at @IowaDepartmentofPublicHealth and Twitter at @IAPublicHealth, as well as our school district website at andrew.k12.ia.us.