November 6, 2020 – Parents with students at Silver Springs and Nevada Union have been informed of separate, unrelated, COVID-19 cases at both campuses. November 6, 2020 at 5:32 PM Update: Lyman Gilmore Middle School also has a student who tested positive, details below.
November 6, 2020 at 6:18 PM Update: An additional case has been reported at Grizzly Hill School, details below.
All cases are unrelated.
Countywide, eleven new cases were confirmed today, bringing Nevada County’s total to 699, with five people currently hospitalized and nine fatalities to date.
“We are seeing a significant uptick in COVID-19 cases and increased community transmission of COVID-19 throughout our community right now,” said Nevada County Public Health Director Jill Blake. “While some school-aged children have tested positive for COVID-19, there are currently no outbreaks in Nevada County schools, but of course that can change quickly. It’s a good time to remind parents to keep their children home if they are feeling unwell and to follow the school’s COVID-19 protocol, and it’s also a good time to recognize the school nurses who have developed excellent protocols to follow when they have a student or staff member who tests positive for COVID-19. We continue to ask everyone do all they can to help curb our current trend – refrain from social gatherings, maintain a 6 ft. distance from others outside your immediate household, wear a face covering, and take extra precautions around those who are most vulnerable to serious illness.”
Nevada Union release:
“The health and safety of our students and staff are our top priority. This email is to inform you that a Nevada Union High School student has tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last on the Nevada Union campus on Monday, November 2nd.
Nevada County Public Health has been notified and the student is taking further steps in accordance with guidelines from Public Health and our district COVID-19 protocols and procedures. The individual and their household have been placed in isolation and are working with their healthcare provider to take additional steps, including notifying any close contacts.
All students and staff who may have had close contact exposure are being notified and will be placed in isolation for 14 days, per protocol. Furthermore, areas on campus where this student has had contact have been cleaned and sanitized.
We will update you with additional pertinent information as appropriate. Please continue to monitor your students for symptoms and keep them home if they are experiencing any of the symptoms listed on the NJUHSD Symptom Checklist. Please contact the school nurse or your healthcare provider if you have questions or concerns related to our COVID safety policies and protocols.”
Silver Springs
A Silver Springs staff member on the Park Ave campus has recently tested positive for COVID-19. The staff member does not have routine and regular contact with students and does not work in a classroom setting. Additionally, the staff member has not been on the Park Ave campus since Tuesday, November 3rd.
Nevada County Public Health has been notified and the staff member is taking further steps in accordance with guidelines from Public Health and our district COVID-19 protocols and procedures.
Lyman Gilmore
This email is to inform you that a Lyman Gilmore student has tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last on campus on Monday, November 2nd. We have been working closely with Nevada County Public Health and anyone with close contacts from our campus has already been directly communicated with.
Grizzly Hill
This letter is to inform you that a student at Grizzly Hill School has tested positive for COVID-19. The health and safety of our students and staff are our top priority. The last day of known exposure at Grizzly Hill school was Thursday, November 5th, 2020.
Grizzly Hill School has M/T and TH/FRI cohorts. I want to let you know that the positive case is from the TH/FRI cohort. With that said, only a few students had possible close contact. The District requires all students to be seated more than six feet apart, requires masks on campus and provides hand sanitization when entering and exiting each room. These practices are effective in minimizing the spread of COVID-19 and are in place to protect our students from unwitting exposure to the virus.
Public Health contact tracers will call the families they deem necessary in accordance with State and County COVID-19 exposure protocols. In the meantime, Grizzly Hill School will be shutting down all in-person hybrid classes for two full weeks with in-person instruction resuming Monday November 23rd (Cohort A – Grades K,2,4,6,8) and Tuesday, November 24th (Cohort B – Grades 1,3,5,7). We will move to a remote platform on Monday, November 9th.
We are committed to do our part to provide a safe learning environment for all students. To this end, we will keep you informed to the extent that HIPAA allows. In the meantime, if your student exhibits any symptoms, please contact your healthcare provider for testing or advice. Nevada County Public Health may be a helpful resource and can be reached at (530) 265-1450 to receive a priority referral. Be sure to let them know that you or your child may have had direct exposure through their school cohort.
All in-person instruction will be cancelled through November 22, 2020, to allow students and staff to be tested and to avoid any spread of the virus, and returning on November 24, 2020 for two short days prior to the Thanksgiving break.