SCHOOL UNION NO



CHERRYFIELD SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Robert J. Riley, Superintendent of Schools

P.O. Box 58, Cherryfield, ME 04622

Tel. (207)546-7770

March 3, 2020 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The news has been full of reports of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and its spread across the globe. We have heard that some organizations are taking action to mitigate the risk to their communities. Just recently, the United States State Department has restricted travel to certain countries and some air carriers have canceled all flights into and out of places like China.

While the risk to us is minimal, at this time, the Maine Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control have advised that schools prepare for the possibility of the spread of this virus. 

First, let’s talk a bit about our normal flu season. We have had a few confirmed cases of students and staff with Influenza B just before the February vacation. Fortunately, each of our students and staff have recovered and are back at school. As a response to this small instance of Influenza within our school, our maintenance crew scrubbed the entire school with disinfectant wipes in an abundance of caution to keep more of our students from being impacted.

The symptoms of Influenza A and B are also similar to the symptoms of the Coronavirus, that is fatigue, cough, achy feeling, fever or chills, sore throat, runny noses and gastrointestinal distress (vomiting and diarrhea). The only true way to determine which type illness you may have is through an actual test, which are slowly coming available to local healthcare facilities.

There are, however, some very common sense ways to mitigate the chances of contracting illness, and they are the ways that we have employed for years. First, if you are sick, please stay home, bringing germs into the building in close proximity to others is a sure-fire way to transmit the virus. Remember to sneeze, or cough, into your elbow, not your hands. Most viruses are transmitted through air-borne droplets that result from a sneeze or a cough. Covering your nose and mouth with your elbow helps to reduce the air-borne droplets.

If you have a fever, please stay home. Do not return to work or school until you have been fever free for 24 hours without the aid of a fever reducer, such as Tylenol. Hand washing is a great way to reduce the spread of the virus. Washing your hands often, for at least twenty seconds (or the time it takes to recite the alphabet) with warm soapy water is considered the first line of defense against spreading viruses like the flu, by the CDC. Finally, avoid touching your hands to your eyes, nose and mouth, this will limit the opportunity for the virus to enter your body.

Our staff will continue to clean and disinfect the building and all other surfaces that our children touch. By maintaining our vigilance in these efforts, we can mitigate the chances of widespread disease in our community and keep our kids safe. This will need to be a community effort and we will do our part.

Finally, in recent days, the news has been filled with dire stories about how this disease affects communities around the country. Some in the media have spoken of large scale actions to stop the spread of the disease, including the closing of schools, and other gathering places for large crowds. If, and that is a huge IF, we find that we need to examine other, more drastic actions, we will have a plan to continue our students’ education via other, more remote means. We will have a plan to keep our students engaged, as best as we can. If that becomes necessary, we will communicate those plans at the appropriate time.

Should you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call the school or the Superintendent’s Office.

Sincerely,

Robert Riley

Superintendent of School

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