COVID-19 - Coronavirus

• Review our list of frequently asked questions
• There are print & digital resources for your child during the closure to help keep children engaged in learning
• The risk of getting the virus remains low.
• On March 28, the first case was confirmed in Bulloch County.
• Practice proper prevention and hygiene tips.
• Adhere to CDC and U.S. State Department Travel Notices and avoid travel to areas with confirmed outbreaks.
• Call your medical provider if you feel sick and have a cough, fever, or shortness of breath, and see the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention's information about COVID-19 testing and its self-testing tool in the Trusted Resources section of this web page.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new coronavirus strain that has not been previously identified.  The virus causing the 2019 outbreak is not the same as the coronavirus that commonly circulates among humans. It is referred to as COVID-19 because it is the official name assigned to the disease by the World Health Organization after the outbreak began in Wuhan China in 2019.

We take our responsibility to help prevent illnesses very seriously.  These are our roles as a public school district:

• Communicate important information with school district employees and our students' families
• School faculty are attempting to contact each child at least twice each week during the school closures to help meet academic, social, and emotional needs.
• Use social distancing protocols, technology, and telecommuting to continue to operate all essential functions: payroll, accounts payable and receivable, budget preparations; school bus maintenance; school nutrition; communications and media; Board of Education meetings and open records requests; human resources processes for current employees, new hires, retirees, and new employee recruitment; provide print and digital resources to keep children engaged in learning; and more.
• Ensure school district medical staff at each school are trained to recognize and report signs of this and any illness
• Ensure faculty and school medical personnel always encourage employees and students to use proper hygiene 
• Ensure custodians daily use standard cleaning practices established by the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) and the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI) and use effective cleaning products. We have confirmed that our cleaning supplies are effective against COVID-19.  We have taken steps to ensure we have enough supplies in inventory. We are taking action to also provide additional training to our custodians about additional methods to increase our disinfecting practices in relation to Novel Coronavirus. All schools and buses will receive intensive disinfecting for the Novel Coronavirus prior to schools reopening and beyond
• Ensure public restrooms in our schools are always well stocked with proper hygiene products
• Follow directives from the Georgia Department of Public Health, whenever they recommend vaccination clinics or appropriate community mitigation measures such as the temporary closure of schools or cancellation of school events.
• Follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention as they pertain to decisions about school closures

Tips to help prevent the spread of flu, the coronavirus, and other illness:

• If you are sick, stay home. Don't go to school, work, or public gatherings
• Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Encourage children to wash their hands for as long as it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song twice.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow or cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue; throw the tissue away; wash your hands
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces
• Don’t share personal items, including toothbrushes, towels, cups/glasses, utensils, etc. 
• If you or your child is ill and either of you have recently traveled to an area affected by COVID-19, or you have been around someone who has been infected with COVID-19, contact your healthcare provider immediately.