NJ Issues New Coronavirus Guidelines For Schools (UPDATE)

NEW JERSEY — State health officials have issued a long list of coronavirus outbreak guidelines for New Jersey schools and colleges now that the number of cases continues to climb in the United States and across the Garden State.

The New Jersey Department of Health said it is "working hard" to get ahead of an outbreak by developing guidance and education materials in the event that the new virus impacts the state's residents.

In the week following the March 2 release of the guidelines, New Jersey had its first four presumptive positve cases. The first New Jersey school to close because of coronavirus exposure was also announced. Read more: Possible Coronavirus Exposure Closes Private School In Paramus

Schools are required to provide 180 days of instruction each year for grades K-12. But if an outbreak happens, what happens if schools have to close?

One of the guidelines is that education will likely have to move to your home. School attendance would also be flexible. Travel would be restricted. Read more: Rutgers Cancels All Study Abroad Due To Coronavirus Fears

"Public health and health care systems may become overloaded, with elevated rates of hospitalizations and deaths," the NJDOH says. "Other critical infrastructure — such as law enforcement, emergency medical services, and transportation industry — may also be affected. Health care providers and hospitals may be overwhelmed."

Here are the some of the most noteworthy recommendations if an outbreak occurs. They include:

• Schools are not expected to screen students or staff to identify cases of COVID-19.
• Students with fever, cough or difficulty breathing should be placed away from others and asked to wear a face mask until they can be sent home.
• Prepare to offer home instruction to students.
• Schools need to implement flexible attendance and sick leave policies.
• Schools should be prepared to offer alternate instruction while a student is quarantined. Schools should consult the New Jersey Department of Education regarding home instruction.
• During school dismissals, child care programs and schools may stay open for staff (if not ill) while students stay home.
• Any person or group planning a trip outside of the United States should consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for current travel advisories regarding any restrictions on travel. The situation is evolving.

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The New Jersey Education Association also addressed the situation, a coronavirus outbreak "would require careful coordination between our members, the affected school districts and the New Jersey Department of Education."

"We would be in uncharted territory," said Steven Baker, a spokesman for the NJEA. "Our first priority is the health of students and staff. We support smart, proactive measures to ensure that this virus does not threaten our communities, including closing schools if that is necessary to protect community health."

Baker said the NJEA also is committed to "providing our students with the education they deserve even if safety demands that we not gather at school for a period of time."

"While that is far from ideal educationally and should not be seen as an equal substitute for in-person instruction, it is in students’ best interests to not to interrupt their education any more than necessary," he said.

"We are very concerned that not all students have equal access to the online tools needed to take advantage of remote learning, and we urge districts and the New Jersey Department of Education to do everything in their power to ensure that no students are denied their right to public education because they are unable to access the Internet."

The DOH acknowledged that many child care centers, school administrators, teachers and parents in New Jersey "are concerned about how the current outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) will impact their communities and wish to take appropriate steps to mitigate any risks."

The CDC also is working hard to learn as much as possible about the new coronavirus so it can better understand how it spreads, the DOH says.

"More cases are likely to be identified in the coming days, including more cases in the United States," the DOH says. "It’s likely that person-to-person spread will continue to occur, including in the United States."

Here's how the state Department of Health has outlined its guidelines:

How should schools prepare for the potential of a coronavirus outbreak in their community?

• Review and update or develop your outbreak response/pandemic plan and share with stakeholders before an outbreak occurs.
• Establish procedures to ensure students and staff who become sick at school or arrive at school sick are sent home as soon as possible.
• Prepare for the potential of school closures or dismissals or cancellation of school events.
• Prepare to offer home instruction to students.
• Schools need to implement flexible attendance and sick leave policies.
• Establish relationships with local public health officials and identify points of contact.
• Create emergency communication plans and maintain up-to-date contact information for everyone in your communication chain.
• Establish leadership teams, identify essential staff functions and assign tasks and responsibilities.
• Plan workshops and trainings to educate staff on prevention measures.
• Continue to monitor current information from health officials.

What should a school do when a student or staff presents with symptoms of COVID-19?

• If a community (or, more specifically, a school) has cases of COVID-19, local health officials will help identify those persons and will follow up on next steps.
• Schools are not expected to screen students or staff to identify cases of COVID-19.
• Students with fever, cough or difficulty breathing should be placed away from others and asked to wear a face mask until they can be sent home.
• Staff members should be sent home and advised to seek medical advice.
• Notify your local health department with any questions or concern about an ill student at www.localhealth.nj.gov.

Will schools be asked to close if there is a COVID-19 outbreak in the community?

• School closures and school dismissals are two recommended strategies to limit transmission within the community.
• During school dismissals, child care programs and schools may stay open for staff (if not ill) while students stay home. This allows teachers to develop and deliver lessons remotely and for other staff to continue to provide services.
• Schools may be asked to close preemptively or reactively; therefore, schools should make plans for what to do if there are recommendations to close schools or cancel events.
• Child care and school administrators should work closely with local health officials when making decisions on dismissals or closures.

What if a student/staff recently returned from travel to a country (other than China) where a travel alert has been issued?

• The CDC has issued travel advisories for several countries. Details can be found at this CDC site.
• The CDC is not recommending that these individuals be screened or monitored and should not be excluded from work.

If a student or staff member has traveled to one of the countries listed on the CDC website, they should:

• Notify the school so precautions can be taken if they become ill in school.
• Monitor their health for fever or cough, or have difficulty breathing.
• If they feel sick, they should stay home until they are fever-free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication.
• If they have a fever and other respiratory symptoms, they should seek medical advice.
• Call ahead before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room. Tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms.
• Avoid contact with others.
• Do not travel while sick.
• Cover their mouth and nose with a tissue or their sleeve (not their hands) when coughing or sneezing.
• Clean their hands often by washing them with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60–95 percent alcohol immediately after coughing, sneezing or blowing their nose.
• Soap and water should be used if hands are visibly dirty.

If there is a student or staff member who recently returned from China in the past 14 days, should they be excluded from work or school?

• Travelers returning from mainland China will undergo a health screening and up to 14 days of self-quarantine with health monitoring to ensure they have not contracted the virus and do not pose a public health risk.
• All asymptomatic (without symptoms) students/staff under monitoring must be excluded from work and school for 14 days from their last date in China.
• Travelers will be asked to self-quarantine and self-monitor as directed by public health recommendations and to seek care if ill.
• Schools should be prepared to offer alternate instruction while student is quarantined. Schools should consult the NJDOE regarding home instruction.

When can a student or staff member return to school/work after being quarantined or self-isolated?

• Travelers who have been quarantined for 14 days and have remained asymptomatic may return to school unless they meet other criteria for school exclusion.

Is a physician letter required for the student to return to school after their monitoring period is complete?

• Returning travelers under monitoring are not being monitored by their health care provider. If a letter is requested, the monitoring agreement the individual or guardian signs would serve as proof that the monitoring period is complete.

Students are going for spring break: Can they still go?

• Prior to traveling, persons should consider the potential risks that may be involved in visiting their destination, including risk of transmission as well as the risk of quarantine upon returning.
• Destinations experiencing sustained community transmission should be avoided.
• Any person or group planning a trip outside of the United States should consult the CDC website for current travel advisories regarding any restrictions on travel.
• The situation is evolving. People can stay up to date with CDC’s travel health notices related to this outbreak. These notices will be updated as more information becomes available.

Do school events need to be canceled?

• At this time, there is no need to cancel school or social events.
• Students should be reminded that part of good respiratory hygiene is staying home from events when they are ill.
• If COVID-19 is occurring in your community, public health officials may recommend modifying, postponing or canceling mass gatherings.

What preventive measures should a school take to help reduce the spread of respiratory illness including COVID-19 and the flu?

• NJDOH recommends that schools and childcare settings increase education on respiratory hygiene.

Staff and children (as developmentally appropriate) should all be taught and asked to follow these steps that prevent the transmission of respiratory infections:

• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or into your sleeve, not your hands.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Wash hands often for at least 20 seconds, especially after coughing or sneezing.
• Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Stay home if you’re sick, especially with a fever.
• Avoid people who are sick.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects.

Additional preventive measures include:

• Continue to monitor students and staff who my exhibit respiratory symptoms.
• Adhere to exclusion recommendations from public health. For acute respiratory illness: fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication. Doctors notes for return do not supersede public health recommendations.
• Separate sick students and staff from others until they can be picked up to go home.
• Provide adequate supplies, including clean and functional hand-washing stations, soap, paper towels, and alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Encourage routine surface cleaning through education, policy, and the provision of supplies.
• Get a flu shot – it’s not too late to be protected!

School Cleaning Procedures:

• Special sanitizing processes beyond routine cleaning, including closing schools to clean every surface in the building, are not necessary or recommended to slow the spread of respiratory illness.
• Schools should follow standard procedures for routine cleaning and disinfecting with an EPA-registered product.
• Typically, this means daily sanitizing surfaces and objects that are touched often, such as desks, countertops, doorknobs, computer keyboards, hands-on learning items, faucet handles, phones and toys.

The New Jersey Education Association also issued guidelines for its members, saying: "We urge all NJEA members, and everyone in New Jersey’s public schools to prioritize the health of your students, your colleagues and yourself while this threat exists."

"Most critically, if you are sick or have any reason to believe you could have been exposed, please stay home. Urge your colleagues and students to do the same."

"Obviously, this situation is fluid and subject to change. The takeaway right now is that we should take steps to become informed and plan for the possibility of an outbreak in order to limit exposure and reduce the number of possible cases."