NOBLESVILLE — With a holiday weekend coming up, the Hamilton County Health Department wants to make sure students won't bring COVID-19 back to the classroom.
"We are headed into a holiday weekend, which is typically a time for barbecuing, beaches and pool parties," the Hamilton County Health Department's Christian Walker said.
That's why the health department believes this is the perfect time to roll out some C.L.A.S.S. That stands for:
Check your child's temperature.
Lead by example.
Avoid large gatherings.
Schedule a test, if needed.
Stay until test results return.
With Labor Day weekend on the way, the campaign to slow the spread is supposed to remind families what it takes to keep cases down.
"We thought we would tie it into the school setting to target the ages and grades where we are seeing the largest growth in COVID positive cases," Walker said.
Hamilton Heights School Corporation Superintendent Derek Arrowood said his schools are doing all they can during school hours. They just need parents to help out after the bell rings.
"Our kids want to be in school. Our families want our kids in school," Arrowood said.
Here's how it goes when someone is diagnosed with COVID-19 at school.
"If my child is at school and tests positive for COVID-19, then the school and the health department must track down each person my child came in contact with," Walker said. "All of those children have to go home and they have to be screened. They can't come back until they are negative."
Of the 2,300 students in the district, 13% chose virtual learning.
"Right now, we have one active staff case and one active student case," Arrowood said. "We've had previous cases. Those individuals have isolated and come back healthy and they're back in school. We're quarantining about 30 kids right now."
Those numbers aren't bad, and if everyone shows some C.L.A.S.S., they'll get even better in the district all across Hamilton County.
