Important Health Update Follow-Up 11/23/21
We are writing this afternoon with an update from our message earlier today about the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in our schools. Our nurses and Hanover EMS processed 146 rapid tests this morning as part of our test and stay program and in response to the positive cases identified during Monday’s pool testing. Several students and staff were referred for PCR testing as well.
Our testing program remains the most valuable tool for COVID-19 mitigation to help keep our schools open and our students and staff as safe as possible. Today’s follow-up to yesterday’s pooled testing identified 6 new cases: 4 at Center, 2 at Cedar, none at HMS, and none at HHS. Parents and guardians of students identified as COVID-19 positive, and all close contacts, are being notified this afternoon. We are pleased to report that there were no new cases identified by our test and stay program (over 80 tests of previously identified close contacts).
We have shared these results with the Hanover Public Health Nurse and the senior COVID-19 response administrator at DESE for their information and guidance. We have made the collaborative decision to stay the course, and we don’t have plans to close any classrooms or schools at this time. It is important to understand that our pooled testing program only covers 25% of our student and staff population, and without question, there is an increasing number of COVID-19 positive students, staff, and family members within our community. We all need to be cognizant of this risk to make informed decisions for ourselves and our families outside of school. Inside our schools, we are reinforcing the important mitigation efforts that have been in place since the start of the year, and we will be closely monitoring any new cases at each level.
We are asking that students demonstrating any symptoms of COVID-19 stay home tomorrow and schedule a test with the Hanover MIH program or a provider of your choice. For tomorrow, students who have concerns about their own health may email their school nurse or principal and their absence will be considered “excused” for attendance purposes. We cannot move past this virus unless we work together to share information and take the measures necessary to reduce the spread by staying home if you are ill, notifying school officials about cases outside of school, and getting tested if you have any COVID-19 symptoms. Our testing program is a great resource, but it is less effective without the cooperation of the entire community to share this important information with our Health Services Team.
Like you, we are fully ready to be done with COVID-19 and the seemingly endless stress, anxiety, and inconvenience it has caused all of us. It is exhausting and beyond frustrating to still be dealing with this virus and to watch how quickly conditions change. However, please be assured that our staff is doing everything possible to keep our schools open and all of the academic and social experiences as normal as possible for our students. We will get through this if we stay together and afford each other the patience and grace required of challenging times. We will continue to share information in the weeks ahead. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Sincerely,
Patricia Smith, Director of Health Services
Matt Ferron, Superintendent