Battle Ground Public Schools

The health and safety of our students is a top priority. To keep students, staff and families safe, Battle Ground Public Schools is following state health and safety requirements for COVID-19, including the wearing of masks, physical distancing, cleaning, ventilation and contact tracing. To learn more about case investigations, including contact tracing and isolation or quarantine requirements and testing information, visit our Contact Tracing in Battle Ground Public Schools information page.

Coronavirus

The health of our children is important to all of us. Battle Ground Public Schools wants to assure families that it is closely monitoring the situation and working directly with Clark County Public Health and the Washington State Department of Health as it does for all matters concerning public health.

How it spreads
According to Clark County Public Health, the virus that causes COVID-19 spreads largely through close contact (within 6 feet) of an infected person. Similar to influenza or other respiratory viruses, it is spread most commonly through droplets when people cough, sneeze, or talk. The proper use of masking and physical distancing has been shown to limit the spread of COVID-19 in congregate settings.

COVID Safety Requirements in Schools

The district posts information about cases in schools on a COVID-19 dashboard.

• Please keep your child home if they are running a fever or experiencing other symptoms of illness. See our Health and Attendance brochure and the COVID-19 Student Symptom Flow Chart for more information.
• The state Department of Health is requiring all people, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks indoors at school and on school buses. There are a few exceptions for people with medical and developmental conditions or a disability that prevent them from wearing a mask. These exemptions require documentation from a qualified medical or rehabilitation specialist.
• Schools will maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students in classrooms to the degree possible and reasonable, and 6 feet elsewhere to the degree possible and reasonable without limiting the district’s ability to serve all students.
• For the purposes of contact tracing in classrooms, close contacts are those who are within 3 feet of a person who is positive for COVID-19 for more than 15 minutes in a 24-hour period. In other school spaces, the close contact distance is within 6 feet of a positive person.
• Students who are fully vaccinated and identified as a close contact will not have to quarantine unless they are symptomatic.

What families can do

The state of Washington is encouraging people to get an annual flu shot, practice physical distancing, and wear facial coverings.

Clark County Public Health advises that everyday practices to prevent colds, flu, and other respiratory illnesses can also protect people against coronaviruses, including COVID-19. The agency recommends people take the following actions to keep themselves healthy:

• Stay home when you are sick. If you are showing symptoms of COVID-19 (see the CDC’s list of COVID-19 symptoms), have not been tested for the virus, and have had no close contact of someone with COVID-19, then stay home until 10 days after symptoms started AND at least 24 hours have passed since the fever resolved without medication AND symptoms have improved.
  See Battle Ground Public Schools’ COVID-19 Student Screening Flow Chart.
• When you report your student’s absence, please provide details about your child’s specific symptoms.
• Wear a facial covering
• Practice physical distancing
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. When soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover coughs and sneezes. Use a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
• Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces that are frequently touched.
• Vaccinations are available for eligible people. Information on vaccines is available from Clark County Public Health. COVID-19 vaccination is not required for students to attend school.

Talk with your family
Parents, please talk with your children about proper hand washing and hygiene techniques.

Talking With Children during infectious disease outbreaks (PDF) from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is a good resource for talking with your children about a disease outbreak.

Thank you

Thank you for your support as we work together to keep our students healthy.