COVID statement from Oconee schools

“The School District of Oconee County continues to face a steep rise in COVID-19 cases.  This rise in cases has resulted in a significant number of students being quarantined as well as the closure of many classes, sports teams, and extracurriculars. A COVID Data Dashboard  was developed to keep families and the community informed of cases and trends within the district.  Our nurses and administrative teams are working as quickly as possible to track and report all cases.  However, we are aware that our data is currently behind approximately 3 to 4 days.  The district has temporarily reassigned a current staff member to help with data collection and reporting to alleviate this delay.

Dr. Michael Thorsland, Superintendent, said, “First, I want to say an enormous thank you to our nursing supervisor, Sherry McLaughlin, and to our float nurse, Crystal Babb.  They have gone above and beyond as they provide testing for staff and students as well as coordinate all of our data reporting.  I also want to thank all of our school nurses for the excellent job they are doing as they manage both COVID-19 and their regular responsibilities.   As far as where we are as a district – we are facing more current cases then we did at any point last school year.  We are focused on distancing and cleaning measures, cohorting of students at the elementary level, encouragement of masks for students and staff, and implementation of our targeted approach to closures to meet our goal of keeping as many students as possible in face-to-face learning.   Finally, I want to say that the #1 thing that any of us can do to help slow the spread and keep our students in school is to stay home and get tested when experiencing any symptoms.”

WE ENCOURAGE ALL STAFF,  STUDENTS AND FAMILIES TO:

·        STAY HOME & GET TESTED if you are experiencing ANY symptoms related to COVID-19 including muscle or body aches, sore throat, chills, fatigue, headache, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fever, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, loss of taste or smell, or new or worsening cough. Thinking you “just have a cold” is not acceptable. Get tested!

·        Report any symptoms and/or test results to the school nurse as soon as possible.

·        Avoid being around others if you have been told to quarantine or isolate. Groups of “quarantined” students getting together outside of school does not help contain the spread of the virus.

·        Wear a mask during school and at school events.

·        Get vaccinated if you are able.”