Guidance from Wyoming Health Department on Positive COVID-19 Tests in Schools

Happy Monday everyone.  Our schools are now open and registration is underway.  For more information on registration, please see the blog post from August 7th.

In a recent post (What Happens When COVID Happens), I talked about how our plan addresses how we will address symptomatic students and staff.  I also touched on the topic of how we will address positive cases of COVID-19 by students or staff, noting that we would rely on guidance from Sublette County Health.

The Wyoming Department of Health has released guidance to educational institutions entitled What to Expect if a Student of Staff Member has COVID-19.   This document will help you better understand what we can expect if we experience a positive test and I hope you have the time to read it.  If you are busy and don’t, below are the CliffsNotes.

• Process:
  • As I discussed previously, state and local health officials assume control of the process when a student or staff tests positive and they note in the guidance, “Public health officials will make specific recommendations based on each situation.”
• Case Interview:
  • When a positive test result is reported to public health, a local or state public health official will contact the person who tested positive, or the parent if the person is less than 18 years of age, to complete an investigation.
  • Public Health will also notify the school and gather information from the school.
  • The person with COVID-19 will be issued isolation orders.
• Contact Tracing:
  • Public Health will conduct contact tracing and may issue isolation order to close contacts.
• Release from Isolation and Quarantine and Return to School:
  • Once public health officials determine the person with COVID-19 is no longer infectious, he or she will be given a release from isolation letter. The person can return to school and resume normal activities.
• Cleaning and Disinfecting after a Person is Diagnosed with COVID-19:
  • WDH recommends that schools wait 24 hours after the infectious person has been in the area to begin cleaning and disinfecting.
• School Closures from Students or Staff with Diagnosed COVID-19 Case(s):
  • School closures will depend on multiple factors, including but not limited
    to the number of cases detected within the school, the extent of COVID-19 spread within the community, and the extent to which COVID-19 precautions have been implemented within the school.
  • In most instances, a single case of COVID-19 in a school would not warrant closing the entire school.
  • Short dismissals may be recommended for a school or a segment of the school to allow time to complete the appropriate cleaning and for public health officials to conduct the contact investigation.
  • If there is a significant outbreak within a school, then more extensive closures may be necessary.
  • Public health officials will provide recommendations to schools on whether a closure is needed and the length of closure needed based on each specific situation.
  • Public health officials will also work with school officials to determine whether a
    school needs to move into a different tier of operations – for example, move from Tier 1 into Tier 2 according to their SmartStart Plan.

The Wyoming Department of Health has also provided the infographic below.  We will post this throughout our buildings as a reminder to students, parents, staff and visitors.