COVID-19 Positive Case Communications

Read PDF: KPBSD COVID-19 Confirmed Case in School Response Matrix

Parents and Guardians: Prepare for a positive COVID-19 case in a school

This letter will help prepare parents, guardians, and families for COVID-19 events, let them know how they will be updated, and where to go for more information.

Dear KPBSD Parents and Guardians,

This letter will help your family prepare should our school district or your school have a COVID-19 event occur. This could be a positive COVID-19 case, outbreak (two or more positive cases in a school) or exposure to COVID-19 in a school, and need for quarantine. The health and safety of our students, staff, and families is our top priority.

KPBSD works closely with local public health officials and they will provide support and direction to manage every COVID-19 related scenario that affects our school communities. If or when a COVID-19 event occurs related to your school, you will receive information via the usual school and district communication methods, or a call from the school nurse, principal, or designated person. Depending upon the situation and response needed by you, the contact may come via a phone call, email, alert, or general notification.

KPBSD honors HIPAA and FERPA privacy laws, so your name and your child’s name will not be revealed by the school, unless you give the school permission to do so. A dedicated webpage at KPBSD.org is where to find the most up to date information.

If your child receives a positive COVID-19 test result, and they have been at school two days prior to the onset of symptoms, or the testing date that resulted in a positive test result, it will be helpful to begin contact tracing at their school immediately. So, we need your help when you learn of a positive COVID-19 test result for your child. To confidentially report a positive COVID-19 test result, reach out to KPBSD Nurse Melisa at 907.260.2391, or MMiller@kpbsd.k12.ak.us. Alternately, call your school nurse or administrator.

It is important for everyone in our community to protect themselves against the remarkably contagious novel coronavirus. These are some ways to protect your family:

  • Symptom Free School Protocol: keep children who are sick at home -- do not send them to school
  • Teach your children to wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, and set a good example by doing this yourself
  • Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or by coughing into the inside of their elbow, Be sure to set a good example by doing this yourself
  • Time and distance: teach your children to protect your family bubble or their school cohort, and practice physical distancing of about six feet away from others
  • Mask up with a cloth face covering when appropriate, especially indoors in crowded public places, on the school bus, and in school hallways. Grades 3 and older in the KPBSD wear a mask at school when six foot physical distancing is not possible

When you have COVID-19 related questions, contact your school nurse, healthcare provider, local public health department, or visit the state DHSS or national CDC websites. You can find specific information for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District on our dedicated COVID-19 in KPBSD Hub webpage that includes communication updates, safety protocols, Smart Start Plan, sports and activities, risk levels on the Kenai Peninsula, and the COVID-19 Confirmed Case in School Response Matrix. Your school is always available to help, or you can reach out to the school district COVID-19 line at 907.714.8864, email covid19@kpbsd.org, or visit covid19.kpbsd.org.

This 2020-2021 year will require adaption, a flexible mindset, and we will get through this with both challenges and blessings. We promise to communicate often, be proactive and swiftly reactive when necessary, even when we do not have all the answers. KPBSD leadership and staff assure you that we will focus on and provide for the social, emotional, and mental health needs of our students, staff, parents, and community. Together we will become more resilient and empathic to the needs of others.

School Positive COVID-19 Sample Letter

Dear INSERT SCHOOL NAME staff and families,

Today we learned about a positive COVID-19 case within our school. Contact tracing is complete, and everyone has been called who needs to quarantine to monitor their health for COVID-19 symptoms, and to reduce possible exposure to others.

Please be sensitive if you or your child experiences any symptom of illness—including what you think might be allergies. The best action is to stay home if it is the start of the school day, avoid activities around other people, and get a COVID-19 test if you or a family member feels ill or loses a sense of smell or taste. If someone is already at school when symptoms of illness begin, we can do a free COVID-19 test with parent permission.

The guidance to shorten a 14-Day quarantine is:

  • Quarantine can end after 10 days if there are no symptoms of illness (day of exposure is counted as day zero), or
  • Test out of quarantine: no signs or symptoms of illness, a COVID-19 test on day six after exposure, and if that is negative, a return to school and activities outside the home on day eight
  • Anyone fully vaccinated does not need to quarantine

If you have questions, give a call to your school nurse, KPBSD Nurse Melisa at 907-260-2391, or me, so we can follow-up.

Principal : Insert your own words in closing or opening.>>