By DR. DEREK ARROWOOD
Hamilton Heights Superintendent
HHSC COVID Report #57
Positive Confirmations: Aug. 10-13
High school: 1
As our first week of school draws to a close, we received a positive test confirmation of a student at the high school on Friday, Aug. 13. We have followed our established protocols as outlined in our Re-Entry Plan and continue to work in collaboration with and under the guidance of our local and state health partners. We send our best wishes for a speedy recovery.
With the new Delta variant of COVID-19 on the rise, we do expect some level of impact. We will continue to follow the recommended guidelines and apply a layered mitigation approach outlined in our Re-Entry Plan. We are aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Academy of Pediatrics’ support of keeping children safe and physically present in school and urge masking, vaccination, and using other layers of protection to prevent transmission. We believe that following guidance and recommendations from the CDC and our local and state partners remains the most effective way to protect teachers and students from the spread of COVID-19.
There continues to be strong opinions and much discussion around the various mitigation strategies including masking. We appreciate everyone’s input and will continue to examine our school and age-level data and work in tandem with our public health partners to ensure sound decisions are made regarding our safety protocols and mitigation strategies. We are prepared to adjust our protocols as needed or mandated.
This is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM), an annual observance held in August, to highlight the importance of vaccination for people of all ages. In fact, thanks to vaccines, we hardly have to think about the following diseases today: Polio, Tetanus, Hepatitis A and B, Rubella, Hib, Measles, Pertussis, Pneumococcal Disease, Rotavirus, Mumps, Chickenpox, and Diphtheria. Vaccines save lives. Learn more here.
On a side note, our food pantry will be open from 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 16. Enter through Door A at the high school.
To keep our families and school community in the loop, we will continue to send a weekly COVID-19 update on Fridays. If you have any questions or comments regarding Heights’ policies and protocols, I encourage you to reach out to me. Thank you for working with us and doing your part to help keep our buildings open and kids in class.
#WeAreHuskies