Cascade School District Follows Clear Protocol for New COVID-19 Positive Cases

As of this writing, the Cascade School District has learned of only six COVID-19 positive students and zero infected staff since the school year began. Most importantly, Superintendent Tracey Beckendorf-Edou said, “There’s been no transmission at school.”

When the district learns about a new positive case, safety protocols snap into place. These protocols affect the student, his/her siblings and other close contacts. All district parents also deserve to know the general development.

The regional health districts have created a flow chart followed by Beckendorf-Edou, working closely with the principals and the school nurses, Shelly Zehm and Kesha Milne. There are always two people following and confirming the correct pathway. This is necessary because, while the protocol is fairly straight forward for a case with a positive COVID-19 test, it’s more nuanced if there is a case of COVID-19 symptoms but no known exposure.

For the latter, for instance, assuming no test is administered, a child with a fever over 100.4℉ must quarantine for ten days, but if she has a runny nose that resolves after 24 hours, she quarantines only for an additional day. Certain symptoms, like a fever, are more closely linked to COVID-19, and thus require more serious protective measures.

Close contact with no symptoms actually has to quarantine the longest, for fourteen days, because of the known incubation period before onset of potential transmission. The case bumps to a different pathway on the flow chart if the person either tests positive or displays symptoms.

Due to close contact exposure, the district considers each case and their entire family unit. That’s where it gets complicated, because each family member may be connected to slightly different spheres of other people.

Beckendorf-Edou, after understanding the specifics of each case, including whether the child was a bus rider, in daycare or an athlete, calls the Chelan Douglas Health District to confirm the recommended course of action. She has been reliant on their expertise all along. “I listen very carefully to what the Health District recommends. I talk to them one or two times each week. I also communicate with the school board and staff.”

The district families receive an email informing them of a new positive case. “I have to balance transparency and privacy.” Leavenworth and the surrounding area is a “small town,” and the district is doing its best to respect families’ privacy.

Beckendorf-Edou emphasized how safe a school setting is because staff and students are following the strict health guidelines, including masking, social distancing and deep cleaning. The elementary students that have returned part-time to classrooms can be in groups as large as thirteen, but most pods are closer to eight.

She recognizes that there are different challenges for the partial reopening of Icicle River Middle School on December seventh and Cascade High School in January. At these schools, students