LHHS has 7 cases of coronavirus as of Aug. 23
Richardson ISD officials are warning Lake Highlands High School parents to watch for coronavirus symptoms after 7 people at LHHS tested positive for COVID-19. The cases were confirmed in a lab, according to an email sent to LHHS parents Sunday morning.
“As a general practice, all parents should evaluate their students each day for symptoms of COVID-19,” the email urged, “and not send a child to any in-person school activity with any of these new or worsening symptoms:
- Temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher when taken by mouth;
- Sore throat;
- New uncontrolled cough that causes difficulty breathing (or, for students with a chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, a change in their cough from baseline);
- Diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain; or
- New onset of severe headache, especially with a fever.”
Students RISD-wide have been learning remotely since Aug. 19, but high school athletic practices began Aug. 12 for fall sports such as football, volleyball and cross country. In a letter to football parents Sunday, Athletic Coordinator Lonnie Jordan said some of the COVID-19 victims were related to the football program. In-person football workouts have been suspended, and players are encouraged to self-quarantine and get tested for the virus, he wrote.
Members of the Wildcat marching band, drill team, Wranglers and other student groups have not yet resumed in-person practices.
You may read RISD’s full notification to LHHS parents here.
August 23, 2020
Lake Highlands High School Parents,
RISD has become aware of seven lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 associated with LHHS. Under district guidelines, RISD Health Services has communicated with our public health authority, Dallas County Health and Human Services, which is conducting contract tracing investigations in collaboration with the school. Persons who were determined to be potentially in close contact (defined by CDC as: within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or longer, direct physical contact, shared eating or drinking utensils, or contact with respiratory droplets) with any of the positive cases are being alerted with recommendations for quarantine and next steps. Any student or staff member who tests positive should immediately report their result to the school.
Per CDC guidelines, people who have not been in close contact with a positive case are not considered to be at an elevated risk level and do not need to take additional steps beyond the normal daily precautions of wearing a face covering, adhering to social distancing, and monitoring themselves for symptoms.
As a general practice, all parents should evaluate their students each day for symptoms of COVID-19 and not send a child to any in-person school activity with any of these new or worsening symptoms:
- Temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher when taken by mouth;
- Sore throat;
- New uncontrolled cough that causes difficulty breathing (or, for students with a chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, a change in their cough from baseline);
- Diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain; or
- New onset of severe headache, especially with a fever.
Any student or staff member with these symptoms should notify the school nurse immediately and should not attend any in-person school activity until they meet CDC and district criteria for returning to school. Evaluation by a healthcare provider is advised, as feasible.
As a reminder, please remember that the personal identity of any student or employee reporting a lab-confirmed positive case is considered confidential and will not be published. For more information about COVID-19 guidelines and resources, please see the reference links below.
Thank you for helping RISD to operate as safely as possible during the pandemic.
Resources for Parents and Staff
Quarantine vs. Isolation
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/COVID-19-Quarantine-vs-Isolation.pdf
Symptoms of Coronavirus
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/testing.html
14-Day Symptom Monitoring Log
COVID-19 Testing Locations
https://txdps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=8bf7c6a436a64bfe9a5ce25be580e4ff
Caring for Children
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/caring-for-children.html
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/children/mis-c.html
