From: CMCLS Committee Members

 

To: Parents of CMCLS Students

 

Date: May 4, 2003

 

Subject: SARS Prevention Guidelines

 

 

 Due to the recent SARS infection epidemic, CMCLS is implementing the following measures to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all students.

 

We will follow the most up-to-date guidelines for Massachusetts public schools published by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.  Attached is a copy of the guidelines published on April 25, 2003.  You may obtain any updates by checking the following three web-sites:

 

                Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/

                World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/scr/sars/en/

                Massachusetts Department of Public Health: http://www.state.ma.us/dph

 

In short, the current guideline of Massachusetts Department of Public Health is that “children without SARS symptoms who have traveled to high-risk areas may attend school-isolation or quarantine is not recommended.  Symptoms SARS  include fever greater than 100.4 F, headache, an overall feeling of discomfort, and body aches, mild respiratory symptoms, dry cough and trouble breathing.

 

Since CMCLS students and household members have much higher chance of traveling to the high-risk areas, we are also recommending parents follow this additional measure:  If the student or any household members (including family members and guests) have just returned form the high-risk areas, the student should not attend CMCLS classes for 10 days.  This guideline applies regardless of  the medical condition of the student and/or household members.  We believe this extra precaution is needed to ensure the safety of our school community.

 

Your cooperation with this guideline is appreciated.