Dear Hollis students, staff, and community,

We have been experiencing a great amount of staff and students sick with a variety of illnesses since coming back from Thanksgiving break.  We are also receiving a great number of phone calls and emails on what to do since the protocols for being sick and staying home from school have changed so frequently within the last two years.  So we wanted to communicate what to do if you have a child or family member ill.

Student & Staff Illness

Only students and staff who are healthy should report to school. At-home symptom screening is encouraged for all staff and students. When you report to school, you are certifying that you are symptom-free. Students and staff with any of the following symptoms of COVID-19 must remain home:

• Fever

• Cough or shortness of breath

• Chills

• Fatigue

• Muscles & body aches

• Headache

• Sore throat

• New loss of taste or smell

• Congestion or runny nose

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

Any staff or student who has a fever or any COVID-19 symptoms will be sent home from school. To return to school, students and staff must be fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication. Symptoms should be resolved prior to returning to school.

Any student or staff member who begins to exhibit COVID-19-like symptoms during the school day must report to the office. These individuals must monitor symptoms and return to school when healthy.

Students who test positive must isolate per CDC/IDPH guidelines. Hollis will defer to the most recent IDPH decision tree and the local health department for isolation guidance, adaptive pauses, and symptom monitoring, as guidelines are subject to change.

Today, that is to stay home for five days and recommend to wear a mask when returning symptom-free for five days.

Close contacts without symptoms will not be required to quarantine unless directed by the local Health Department. Instead, families should monitor for any emerging COVID-19 symptoms. We have over-the-counter tests here at school free of charge if you would like to test at home.

Not every illness is Covid, but staying home when sick is the best course of action at this time. Let us know if you have any questions.

Stay healthy and happy!