May 4, 2022
Dear Parents/Guardians and Staff Members,
In a letter issued to our Milford Public Schools family last week, I shared that the Connecticut Department of Public Health had advised school administrators throughout the state that COVID-19 transmission rates had been steadily increasing and that we should expect to see a rise in positive cases affecting our students, staff, and families in the coming weeks. Today, as we see occurring across the state of Connecticut, we can confirm that our case numbers are rising. Further, as we monitor the incidence of positive cases, we also have seen that many of these cases are appearing in ‘clusters.’ Clusters are appearing by classroom, by school, or in groups with a common interest (athletic teams, attendance at larger events, family and community gatherings).
Today, we wish to provide some important reminders about what you can do to reduce the risk of transmission as we proceed toward the end of the school year. Implementing these simple strategies in your daily life will go a long way in helping you and your family members avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Masks: While the wearing of masks will continue to remain optional, we strongly encourage all students and staff members to consider wearing a well-fitting mask indoors in public during this period of increased positive cases. This one strategy is a simple and effective way to curb the spread of COVID-19 and has become a mainstay in our mitigation ‘tool box.’ Masks will be available to any individual who wants one in our school buildings.
Test Kits: The practice of testing for COVID-19 has also helped tremendously in containing spread in our schools. To make this process even easier, we are offering free COVID-19 at-home test kits at each of our schools at your request. If you need a test kit, please contact your school administrator and school personnel will provide one to you. We strongly recommend that you take a COVID-19 test before and after attending large-scale events (i.e. concerts, field trips, etc.). As always, if you, your child, or anyone in your household receives a positive test result, please report that result to your school nurse so that she can advise as to the appropriate return to school plan. She will provide you with additional guidance on how to proceed. Additionally, if clusters of cases are identified, the School Nurse will continue to send home a letter along with at-home test kits with instructions as to when to test based on cases identified.
Daily Health Screening: It is vital that you complete the COVID-19 Daily Self Checklist each morning at home before sending your child to school (or for staff, before you arrive). In addition to assessing symptoms, there are questions specific to COVID-19 exposures. Completion of this form helps your school administrator and school nurse monitor illnesses that may be circulating in the school building and/or classrooms and will enable early intervention.
Although we are experiencing a rise in positive cases locally and across the state, we believe that the wide collection of mitigation strategies in place in our schools will be sufficient as we continue to work on containing the spread of the virus. We send this letter simply as a reminder of the many measures available to you and ask you to partner with us as we prepare for the end of the school year. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your school nurse or building principal for help. We view ourselves as your partners as we continue to move forward and thank you for your partnership.
Be well.
Sincerely,
Anna Cutaia, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Deepa Joseph, MPH
Director of Health