DVUSD Outlines Steps Taken Against Coronavirus

March 13, 2020March 13, 2020 PRESS RELEASE coronavirus

For 15 years, In&Out Magazine has been the definitive source of “Everything that’s going on” in and out of the community. We thank you, our readers, as well as the businesses that support the magazine through advertising, for that opportunity. But with little going on, and many businesses suspending or canceling their ads during the Covid-19 crisis, we are suspending publication of the magazine and web sites for the month of May.

This letter was sent to DVUSD parents on Thursday, March 12:

DVUSD Parents and Guardians,
Deer Valley Unified School District believes the safety of our students and staff is our number one priority. Before our community goes on spring break, we want to provide you with current information about COVID-19 and our district’s actions to prevent the spread of this virus. We also want to be clear that we have not had any confirmed cases of COVID-19 within our school district. In addition, there has not been one case of COVID-19 in any school in Maricopa County. Currently, Maricopa County Department of Public Health does not recommend closing schools.

As noted in our previous communication sent March 4, district leadership is in constant communication with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) and the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) to ensure we have the most accurate information. We encourage our school families and staff to visit MCDPH’s Coronavirus page for the most current and accurate information.

In the case of COVID-19 or other communicable diseases, DVUSD follows the directives provided by MCDPH and ADHS. According to MCDPH, our District will be informed if a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19. In that case, we would notify parents and follow MCDPH guidelines.

If we have updated developments that would impact our families and schools, DVUSD will send out communications to families and employees as soon as possible. At a minimum, this information will be emailed to parents and posted on the school and district websites.

The district is taking additional measures to minimize the risk of spreading respiratory illnesses. Some of these measures include:

Installing additional hand sanitizers at our campuses
Making necessary adjustments to our cleaning procedures for our buses
Making necessary adjustments to our cleaning procedures for our campuses including increased attention to “high touch” areas as well as providing supplementary cleaning where needed over spring break
Launching awareness campaigns across the district with pertinent information and tips about staying healthy
Providing training to our plant foremen on specialized cleaning procedures
School sponsored student travel after spring break is being monitored. At the time of this letter, MCDPH has stated that it is appropriate to continue with student travel within the United States. However, the closing of venues could cause trips to be canceled. We are aware that some venues have closed. We have no international school sponsored trips.
We are exploring necessary adjustments to Food and Nutrition procedures. One adjustment made effective today (3/12/20) is the temporary removal of the student salad bar.

In the rare case that your student and/or family plan to travel internationally during Spring Break to a country that is a Level 2 or 3 risk (see this link for a list of countries that fall into these categories), we request that you email your school’s principal and include the following email address: [email protected]. We ask that all students, staff, and volunteers who visit high-risk countries follow the CDC after-travel health precautions, which currently include staying home. As a reminder, the Deer Valley Unified School District does not diagnose students. Health care providers use criteria from public health officials for diagnosing and testing for COVID-19.

During spring break, it is recommended that you wash your hands frequently, avoid close contact with people who are sick, cover your mouth when coughing, and stay home when you are sick. Students and employees with a fever of 100.0 F degrees or above, should stay home until they are fever-free for 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medications.

This will continue to be a fluid situation; one that you should monitor during spring break. Please go to www.dvusd.org/COVID19 to check on any changes during spring break.

DVUSD wants our students, staff, and community to be informed and prepared. Follow the public health recommendations about staying safe and healthy, including washing your hands, staying hydrated, and getting enough rest.

We will continue to gather information, share any information that will impact our families, and be prepared to make any adjustments that our public health professionals recommend.

Have a safe and restful Spring Break. We will see you back on campus on Monday, March 23.

Sincerely,
Curtis Finch, PhD Superintendent

Editor’s Note: The NoPhoNews Coronavirus Page has other news and information on the virus and local reaction.

PRESS RELEASE

North Phoenix News posts selected press releases, unedited, when we think they’d be of broad interest to one or more communities in the region. The organization submitting the press release is responsible for its contents, and press releases are labeled to distinguish them from news and features we report and write. (See more press releases.)