February 28, 2020
Dear Butler School District 53 families,
Butler School District 53 understands heightened concerns from the community regarding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and its potential impact on the health of our students, staff, and families. Please know that the District has been and is diligently monitoring the news, and advisories concerning the coronavirus illness. We are in constant communication with the Regional Office of Education (ROE), DuPage County Health Department (DCHD), and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). At this time, the DCHD and IDPH has indicated that the risk of getting COVID-19 is currently low in the US.
The District will follow IDPH recommendations in regards to cancellation of classes and exclusion from school. We will certainly keep parents informed as new information for our county and school district emerges.
With that said, implementation of basic precautions of infection control and prevention, including staying home when ill and practicing respiratory and hand hygiene, will become increasingly important. These strategies are referred to as non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs).
Please use the following NPIs, which are everyday preventive actions that can help keep you and others from getting and spreading respiratory illnesses. They include:
· Your child should stay home if he/she is sick until at least 24 hours after there is no longer a fever or signs of a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medications).
· Staying home when you are sick.
· Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue.
· Frequent handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can be used instead.
· Please consult your healthcare provider if you have a concern for yourself or a family member shows symptoms of illness.
As a District, please be aware that we are regularly disinfecting surface areas, and logging illness symptoms to monitor any cluster of types of infections. Furthermore, DuPage County has a very aggressive medical monitoring system that involves trend reporting from all hospitals and medical clinics in the county.
Again, we will provide you with updates about COVID-19 as we receive them. Please know that we are strongly committed to the health and safety of our entire Butler D53 community. In the interim, below are links to information about the virus that we thought you might find helpful.
· https://www.dupagehealth.org/590/Coronavirus-Disease-2019-COVID-19-Inform
· https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html
· https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/summary.html
Sincerely,
Dr. Paul O’Malley
Superintendent of Schools