COVID-19 Information and Communications Protocols
COVID-19 Information and Communications Protocols
We are committed to being transparent and timely with our community on COVID-19 issues as they arise. We believe we did that with the communication of our first positive case on August 24th and the section in BK Alive on August 28th detailing the number of positive cases and students in self-isolation. On Friday we also responded to an Idaho Statesman inquiry by sharing the same information that was sent to parents in BK Alive.
As we’ve gone through the first couple weeks of school, and received feedback from you, we have identified some areas to improve in order to meet our goal of being transparent and timely while meeting your needs for information. Some of our parents are having trouble receiving BK Alive. (Check your Spam filter!) The newsletter is often filled with lots of information, and we have not been clear about when and what we will communicate on COVID-19 at our school.
To that end, here are the steps we are taking, what you can expect from us and what we need from you:
- We will send a Just in Time mid-week and will include any new information in BK Alive at the end of the week if and when we have new positive cases. In addition to these emails, any new information will be posted on bk.org in the Just In Time Blog.
- On bk.org, we will do our best to post a daily update on the number of cases and people in self-isolation under “COVID-19 Daily Updates.“
- All Students, Faculty, and Staff are expected to complete a daily temperature check and health screening before coming to school. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 or higher, without the use of fever reducing medicine, or who is experiencing other COVID-19 symptoms should stay home.
- If your student is exhibiting symptoms, please keep them home and call your healthcare provider. If after visiting the doctor, the doctor suggests the student get a COVID-19 test, please call or email our nurse, MaryLou Cunningham at (208)375-6010 or at mcunningham@bk.org. When you receive the test results, please call or email MaryLou with the results.
- Should the test be positive, we will follow our protocols and coordinate with Central District Health to identify any close contacts with the student while here at Bishop Kelly (close contact is defined as within 6 feet for 15 minutes or longer). We will contact the staff, students, and families of anyone who has been identified as having close contact with the positive COVID-19 student. All students that were deemed as a close contact with this student must isolate for 14 days from the last time they had contact with the individual, and will take their classes online using our Hybrid instructional model. If you have not been contacted by email or phone, then your student is not considered to be at any significant risk and you do not need to have heightened concern.
- The one exception that we’ve learned for any close contacts to a positive case is for someone that they themselves have had a positive test within the last 3 months. In this scenario, medical documentation to our Nurse and attendance office will override the quarantine or self-isolation requirement.
- This positive COVID-19 student will be self-isolating for 10 days from the time their symptoms appear and they are fever free, without the use of fever-reducing medications, for 24 hours. Confidentiality of the identity of the confirmed positive COVID-19 person will be maintained, as required under HIPAA and state law related to privacy of educational records. Please keep the student’s health and recovery in your prayers.
