||| FROM ERIC WEBB for ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT |||
Dear Students, Parents, Staff, & Community,
I want to take a moment to update you on the current COVID-19 situation in the district that I first wrote you about this last Saturday, November 14. We received news today that we can be truly be thankful for as we enter into the holiday season. Of the 33 individuals tested last Sunday, we received 31 negative test results, 1 inadequate test result (the individual will be retested), and 1 positive test. Although we were hoping for the best, the result of the individual who tested positive was anticipated as this person is a direct familial contact of another positive case.
These results reinforce the fact that the district’s plan and strict adherence to safety protocols are in fact working, which prevented these few outside cases from becoming an outbreak within the school. OISD staff and employees rose to the challenge and are to be commended for their tremendous efforts to keep our students safe.
Schools alone are not responsible for reopening safely. It takes communities to reopen schools, and to keep them open. Now more than ever, during a time of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty, we need to remain vigilant and focused on what is working. Our best defense is the many mitigating strategies we’ve worked hard to put in place in our community to keep ourselves and others safe.
Thank you for making the physical, academic, and social-emotional wellness of our youth your highest priority. I can’t imagine a better investment.
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Not as bad as it could have been. Community spread is a reality on Orcas. Everybody needs to extra vigilant. We’re all suffering from Pandemic Fatigue, but the better we are at protecting ourselves, and each other, the sooner this might end. Stay safe.