Confirmed COVID-19 cases of our students are reported to our nurses' office. Please also see steps for Reporting an Illness or Absences. In collaboration with the Evanston Health Department, our nursing team begins to do contact tracing.  Confirmed COVID-19 cases of staff are reported to Human Resources and collaborate with our nurses and the Evanston Health Department.  

What will ETHS do in the case of an increase in COVID cases and/or returning to previous phases? 

• Guidelines will be followed from the Evanston Health Department, Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

What is contact tracing?

• Per CDC, contact tracing is used by health departments to prevent the spread of infectious disease. In general, contact tracing involves identifying people who have an infectious disease (cases) and their contacts (people who may have been exposed) and working with them to interrupt disease transmission. For COVID-19, this includes asking cases to isolate and contacts to quarantine at home voluntarily.
• Contact tracing for COVID-19 typically involves:
  • Interviewing people with COVID-19 to identify everyone with whom they had close contact during the time they may have been infectious,
  • Notifying contacts of their potential exposure,
  • Referring contacts for testing,
  • Monitoring contacts for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, and
  • Connecting contacts with services they might need during the self-quarantine period.
• To prevent the further spread of disease, COVID-19 contacts are encouraged to stay home and maintain social distance (at least 6 feet) from others until 14 days after their last exposure to a person with COVID-19. Contacts should monitor themselves by checking their temperature twice daily and watching for symptoms of COVID-19.
• For information about contact tracing visit, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html.

Who will do contact tracing and how will it take place?

• The nurses and/or designated staff will engage in best practices for contact tracing, in collaboration with the Evanston Health Department.

How will students and families be notified if a student or staff member has come into contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19? 

• ETHS will communicate with students and families via phone and/or email. Students and staff members who have been exposed will be notified of possible exposure and will ask that they follow up with their healthcare provider for further direction.  They should notify the school if they have tested positive for COVID-19.

Will families be notified who their student has come into contact with who has been diagnosed with COVID-19?   

• ETHS cannot disclose who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.  

What resources are available to help me talk to my child about Coronavirus?

How to talk to your teenager about coronavirus

Teens & COVID-19: Challenges and Opportunities During the Outbreak

Talking with children about Coronavirus

Coronavirus:  A Book for Children

Masks and Handwashing Video

My Coronavirus Social Story

My Story About Pandemics and the Coronavirus

Handwashing

Parent Resources

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/coronavirus-landing-page.html?ref=search

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/coronavirus-how-talk-child.html