Thursday, January 7, 2021

Dear Tyger families,

Mansfield City Schools will return to In-Person Learning starting the week of January 11, 2021, on the Hybrid Schedule. Richland County remains at Level 3 (Red) with high case incidence. Please review the protocols related to prevention of COVID-19 that are included on the back page. With the start of the new year, please continue to encourage your child to do their best. Our staff is looking forward to seeing them in school!

Week of January 18:   Hybrid / In-Person students attend 3 days (T, Th, F) 

Week of January 25:   Hybrid / In-Person students attend 4 days (M, T, Th, F) 

Tyger Digital Students will follow their normal schedule.    

Meals

Meals for students will be sent home on Tuesday for any student that wants breakfast and lunch on Wednesdays when remote learning is taking place. 

Preventing COVID-19 infection

Mansfield City Schools have adopted 5 procedures that greatly lessen the spread of COVID-19 in classrooms and other school activities.  Students are required to “Follow the Five” measures when they are in school, on school property, or taking part in any school or athletic activity. 

Sick Children, Absences and Return to School 

Signs and Symptoms of COVID-19

If your child is sick, they must stay home.  The signs and symptoms of COVID-19 infection are the same as many other illnesses like influenza and the common cold, but children who have a contagious illness can cause other people to get sick too. 

Our primary focus continues to be rooted in an effort to deliver quality education with the health and safety of our students, teachers, and support staff in mind.  We appreciate your ongoing support during this school year.  If you have any concerns or challenges that impact your child’s learning, please contact the school staff (teacher, counselor, or principal).    

Sincerely, 

Stan Jefferson

Superintendent, Mansfield City Schools

Information sharing about COVID-19 infection within Mansfield City Schools is critical in lessening the spread of the virus and protecting our Tyger students and staff.  The notification process when a person tests positive has three steps.   Dependent upon what kind of contact your student had with the infected person will determine the notifications you receive.  These are the levels:

Step ONE:  A Leader Alert will notify you that there has been a student or staff member test positive for COVID-19.

Step TWO:  A letter will be sent to the students and staff who were in the same general area as the infected person.  (Example, they were in the same school building, they played on the same athletic team, or they rode the same bus.)

Step THREE:  A letter will be sent from Richland Public Health notifying you that your student or staff member was a direct close contact with the infected person, and must quarantine for 14 days. 

• Students in grades Pre-K-12 attend school on a modified schedule.
  • Plan A: 4 days of in-person learning and 1 day of remote learning
  • Plan B: 2 days of in-person learning and 3 days of remote learning

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is a viral infection that causes a wide range of symptoms, many of them respiratory, and they can be mild to severe. Symptoms appear 2-14 days after exposure to a person with COVID-19, or coronavirus.  It is highly contagious, some people get extremely sick from it and require extensive hospitalization, and others are only mildly ill.  Some people have died from COVID-19 infection. Coronavirus was discovered late in 2019 so it is a new illness that is not yet completely understood.

How does COVID-19 affect me and my family?

You or your family can become infected with COVID-19 by simply being out and about in the community.  It spreads mostly through respiratory droplets in the air, so if you breathe in those droplets from a person who is infected, you may develop COVID-19.  When one family member becomes infected, it is easy to spread the infection to the others through respiratory droplets in the household.

How can I prevent COVID-19 in my family?

It is possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19. By wearing facial coverings and distancing apart by 6 feet or more, the spread is greatly reduced.  It is important to wear a mask when out in public areas, especially indoors, and is required by law in Ohio at this time.  Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces that are frequently touched (door knobs, railings, tabletops, etc.), the transfer of germs from a surface to a person can be greatly lessened.  Washing hands frequently or using hand sanitizer slows the spread.  Staying home when sick will greatly limit the spread of any illness, including COVID-19.

What do I do if I think my child or I have been infected with COVID-19?

If someone in your home is sick, they must stay home. The only way to determine for sure if the illness is COVID-19 is to be tested.  Testing is available through private physicians, at locations described in the test site posted on this page, or through pop-up testing provided by the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio National Guard.

What do I do if I am sick?

If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, you should seek medical care from your physician, a community health clinic, or, if appropriate, an emergency department.  Your healthcare provider may recommend testing at one of any variety of sites. Complying with the care plan established by your physician is critical to your recovery and good health.

What happens if my child or I are positive for COVID-19?

If a person tests positive, they will be interviewed by their local health department; in Mansfield, that is Richland Public Health. It is likely you will be quarantined at home unless you are hospitalized.  Quarantine means that you must stay home with the exception of going to a doctor’s appointment.  The quarantine will last approximately 14 days, a time frame established by RPH. Additionally, any household members or others who have had direct contact with the positive patient from 48 hours prior to the test being taken will likely be quarantined for 14 days from the time of their last contact with the patient.

 When can my child return to school if they have had COVID-19?

RPH will establish return-to-school dates for positive COVID-19 patients and all direct contacts of positive patients.  Children or staff who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 can return when all signs and symptoms have resolved and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, OR when all signs and symptoms have resolved and the individual has had a follow-up negative test result. The best information can be obtained by speaking with the nurse in your child’s individual school building.

How is Mansfield City School District managing COVID-19 in the schools?

The school district has established and is maintaining five mitigation measures in all school buildings and school operations. These measures include handwashing and the use of hand sanitizer, use of facial coverings for students and staff; distancing of persons to the greatest extent and distance possible; enhanced health assessments in collaboration with parents; and additional cleaning and disinfecting of the facilities, equipment, and supplies used by students and staff.

Mansfield City Schools have adopted 5 procedures that greatly lessen the spread of COVID-19 in classrooms and other school activities.  Students are required to “Follow the Five” measures when they are in school, on school property, or taking part in any school or athletic activity. 

           Parents are asked to take their child’s temperature every morning and keep them home from school if it is 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, and to keep them home if they are sick.

            Students are required to wear facial coverings at all school activities and in classes unless they have a documented medical exemption on file with the school.

          Students are required to wash their hands frequently and use hand sanitizer to “Wash in and wash out” of every classroom or gathering space.

            All students, teachers, and others are to stay 6 feet from another person at all times possible while in school or participating in school activities.  Desks have been moved apart, and class size is greatly reduced to promote distancing.

           Teachers and students are working together to wipe off desks between students, and custodians are diligently cleaning the entire school regularly to remove any dirt or germs from frequently used surfaces, supply items, or furniture.  Restrooms are cleaned multiple times a day, and buses are fogged on a daily basis.

School buses are bringing children to school and taking them home as always. Students are required to wear a mask on the bus, and are asked to stand at least 6 feet apart while waiting for the bus.  Parents should make sure their child is not sick before they get on the bus each day.  Children from the same household will sit together on the bus, and distance from children from other families.  If parents are able, they are asked to transport their children to school to reduce the number of bus occupants as much as possible.  If you child forgets his/her mask, the bus driver will give them a disposable mask to wear.

        Breakfast and lunch are provided for students.  Both will be served in the cafeteria and additional areas as needed.  They will sit distanced apart at tables, and will be asked to use hand sanitizer when they arrive and when they return to their classrooms.  Masks are required when entering and exiting the cafeteria, but they are allowed to remove masks when eating and drinking.

           Younger children will still have recess and older children will have physical education classes.  They will play in a small group and be outside whenever possible.  They will be asked to “wash in and wash out” with hand sanitizer.  They must wear masks when not playing, but masks will not be worn during activities.

           Some school athletics are operating using rules established by the State of Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Players and coaches are required to wear masks, distance, use hand sanitizer, and clean equipment and facilities diligently.  Other sports have been postponed temporarily because mitigation measures are difficult to implement or staff does not exist to manage the sport.

          Performing arts such as band and choir are continuing as feasible.  Distancing is enhanced because of additional risk in these activities.  The State of Ohio has issued rules for the operation of these activities, and the district is following those rules.  Some specific activities are not possible at this time.

       Counseling and other student services are continuing with modified procedures including masks and social distancing.  Some conferences and meetings with parents are occurring digitally instead of in-person.  Services are maintained to the highest extent possible.

    In order to protect our children and staff as much as possible, visitors are not allowed in school buildings for the time being.  Parents can drop off forgotten items at the school office as needed.  If a meeting with a principal or teacher is necessary, parents should call the building principal to make those arrangements.

Signs and Symptoms of COVID-19

If your child is sick, they must stay home.  The signs and symptoms of COVID-19 infection are the same as many other illnesses like influenza and the common cold, but children who have a contagious illness can cause other people to get sick too. 

Parents are asked to take their child’s temperature every morning, and if it is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, to keep them home.

            Fever or chills

          Cough, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, or shortness of breath

               Headache, muscle aches, or body aches

                  Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

        Extreme fatigue or tiredness

           New loss of taste and/or smell

Seeing the Doctor

If your child has the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, it is very important to see the doctor to be tested.  You will likely be required to speak with the physician over the Internet, and he/she will order a COVID-19 test to be administered at a local test site identified by the physician. 

For those who need assistance in obtaining health care, the following test sites are established in Richland County:

For more information, the following sites may be consulted.

Richland Public Health                               www.richlandhealth.com

Ohio Department of Health                         www.odh.ohio.gov

Ohio’s COVID-19 Website                          www.coronavirus.ohio.gov

Centers for Disease Control                        www.cdc.gov