Can we share covid policies?

[pineappleupsidedowncake, BSN, RN]

I'm sorry if someone already posted about this! I haven't seen a post dedicated to covid-19 policies for the new school year. Has anyone's policy changed from last year? Or is it generally the same? 

Despite asking multiple times, my school (a private school) has still not provided me with a written covid policy. The school admins suggested that I follow the CDC guidelines, which is: 

For students with chronic conditions, a positive screening should represent a change from their typical health status.

Temperatureexternal icon of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher

Sore throat

Cough (for students with chronic cough due to allergies or asthma, a change in their cough from baseline)

Difficulty breathing (for students with asthma, a change from their baseline breathing)

Diarrhea or vomiting

New onset of severe headache, especially with a fever

 

Obviously, this leaves out a few symptoms that -could- be covid (headache by itself, runny nose). Now I have teachers refusing to accept students for a minor headache, as it "can be a symptom of covid..." 

It is just a mess. I'm dealing with way more kids as usual, no written policy, and I can't please anyone. I hope things change for the better soon, as I'm not sure how much longer I can deal with this before I burn out completely. 

Thanks ❤️

[JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN]

I've got one, but my state actually has pretty good guidelines (and I've built on them). We have a COVID amendment to our student handbook for them, actually. 

For symptoms:

Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
New loss of taste or smell
Muscle aches or body aches
Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
Sore throat when in combination with other symptoms
Headache when in combination with other symptoms
Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea when in combination with other symptoms
Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms

I also have the ability to do a rapid test on a student with two or more minor symptoms (headache/nasal congestion) with parent consent.

[amoLucia]

I get the feeling that some of you need to write your policies in pencil and keep several erasers handy nearby!  (Being sarcastic here ;)

[MHDNURSE]

We are in MA and going by this:

https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop/protocols/protocols.pdf

We have a state mandated mask mandate for ALL, weekly surveillance testing (mandatory if not vaccinated)