PWS Important Notification, October 12, 2020
Dear Staff and Families of Portland Waldorf School,
Recently, we were notified that an employee at PWS has been diagnosed with COVID-19. As members of the school community, we understand that this might raise concerns alongside a caring response. We are working closely with Clackamas County Public Health Division to respond to this news and protect the health of our community. After conversations with staff and a review of our contact tracing logs, it has been determined that no staff or students were in close contact with the diagnosed individual. Close contact is defined within 6 feet of the impacted individual for more than 15 minutes or more (consecutively or cumulatively) whether masked or unmasked.
Each situation calls for different protocols. In this case, we are doing the following:
Sending this letter notifying our entire PWS community of the impact to our school
Performing extra schoolwide cleaning and disinfecting
The best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is through staying home when ill, wearing face coverings, physical distancing, and practicing good health hygiene habits. Be sure to wash your hands frequently with soap and water, cover your coughs and sneezes, and avoid contact with people who have signs of illness. Get plenty of rest, exercise, and eat a healthy diet. Protect the community by following the Governor’s safety requirements. Wearing cloth face coverings reduces the spread of virus. It’s important to notify us if your student has had close contact with anyone that is displaying symptoms of COVID-19, or identified as a positive or presumptive case.
We know this is a hard time for everyone and our hearts go out to those who are ill. We will keep you updated with any new information as it comes out, while meeting the requirements to honor everyone's right to privacy. More information can be found on the Oregon Department of Education’s Ready Schools, Safe Learners page, the Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 page and the PWS COVID-19 page.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Shanti McCarter, Connie Stokes, Elizabeth Webber
Portland Waldorf School Leadership Team