Good Evening TR Families:
Two Rivers remains very committed to the health and wellbeing of our school community. We are closely monitoring the global spread of the coronavirus, which is understandably unsettling to our school community. Last Friday, Mayor Bowser named DC Health (DOH) and DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) as coordinating agencies for the District’s response to the coronavirus. Two Rivers has been advised by DOH and the DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB) to continue its existing practices and procedures to address reports of infectious diseases on campus, such as the flu and strep throat.
Two Rivers’ current procedures include two core elements: communications and facility disinfection. Upon identification of an infectious illness, families in the sick students’ crews are notified immediately of the reported illness, including symptoms to monitor with their child at home. If a sick child has a sibling, notifications are also provided to the sibling’s class. Finally, we continue to advise families to keep sick students home.
The reporting of any infectious illness initiates a deep disinfection of common areas and classrooms with our custodial services team. As an added preventative measure, Two Rivers has been using the Total Clorox 360 Electrostatic Spray System to perform regular facility-wide disinfection since December. For the next two months, or until the coronavirus spread is under control, we will perform our general disinfecting process on a bi-weekly basis.
As a member of the Two Rivers community, you play an integral role in preventative measures to minimize the spread of the coronavirus and germs. As reported by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), following and teaching your children these practices help in prevention:
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water when they are visibly dirty.
We will continue to monitor and adhere to all directives from the District’s coordinating agencies and the CDC. Two Rivers’ leadership is in the process of developing contingency learning plans in the event the risk level changes and the District’s coordinating agencies recommend school closures. We will send timely updates through the Trib and School Messenger with any new developments.
If you have any questions regarding Two Rivers’ procedures, please feel free to contact me at safety@tworiverspcs.org.
Finally, we are providing links to additional resources for your further review.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html
Mayor Bowser’s response to Coronavirus
https://mayor.dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-issues-executive-order-district%E2%80%99s-coronavirus-response
District of Columbia Department of Health
https://dchealth.dc.gov/coronavirus
Sincerely,
Gail Williams