Confirmed Case of COVID-19 at Helen Detwiler – October 29, 2020

October 29, 2020

Dear Helen Detwiler families,

This letter is to inform you that a student in our school has tested positive for COVID-19.

The student was last in the building on October 23, 2020. Hamilton Public Health Services (HPHS) notified Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) of the positive test result today.

HPHS has consulted on this case and have assessed that there are no student or staff close contacts related to this case. The student was not in the building when there would be a risk of exposure. As such, HPHS considers the risk to other students and staff low.

It is vital that personal health information and identifiers are not released, and the privacy of everyone involved is respected.

HWDSB and our school are working closely with Public Health to ensure appropriate measures are in place to prevent the spread of illness to other students or people in the school community. Please continue to have your child attend school, monitor for symptoms, and perform daily screening for COVID-19 symptoms. Find symptoms on the COVID-19 school screening website.

If your child/ren develops COVID-19 symptoms, they must stay home from school and should get a COVID-19 test. To book a COVID-19 please go to www.HamiltonCovidTest.ca.

Testing for Symptomatic Students and/or Staff

Hamilton Public Health Services recommends testing symptomatic students and/or staff if symptoms appear with 14 days from last exposure of a confirmed cases of COVID-19. At this time, Public Health is not recommending testing for anyone who is not showing symptoms that could be related to COVID-19.

Student Absence

If your child/ren develops COVID-19 symptoms, they will need to stay home from school. If your child/ren will be away from school, please use SafeArrival to inform the school about the reason for the absence; provide information about symptoms. This will help HWDSB and Hamilton Public Health understand illness transmission in the community. Find details about Safe Arrival.

Cleaning

In response to a confirmed case, HWDSB follows a detailed cleaning and disinfecting protocol. Additional measures may also be taken, in consultation with Public Health. Students and staff will only be admitted into a school space once these measures are complete and when we are confident it is safe to use.

Well-being Supports

We understand that this is a concerning development and want to support you. For mental health and well-being supports, please contact your school, or explore the resources at www.hwdsb.on.ca/mentalhealth

Questions

• Hamilton Public Health COVID hotline at 905-974-9848 or phscovid19@hamilton.ca
• If you feel that your child could benefit from support, HWDSB social workers are available. Please speak with staff if this would be helpful. You can also use the HWDSB Helps app explained at https://bit.ly/2DhmURj
• Learn about COVID-19 in Hamilton at https://www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus
• Learn about HWDSB’s school reopening precautions at hwdsb.on.ca/covid19

Our shared priority is the health and safety of the children and staff in our school community. As we continue to navigate through this pandemic, it will always be our intention to provide you with information that assures you of our preparedness, procedural precautions, and of our ability to provide a safe setting for both children, their families, and educators.

Please know that we remain focused on the well-being of our school community and will update you throughout the process. Contact the school if you have further questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Michael Azzopardi
Principal