University High School

As the weather grows colder and traditional flu season approaches, please remember that it is essential that we do not send students to school if they are not feeling well. In addition to traditional signs of illness, we are asking you to watch for these symptoms of potential illness due to unique coronaviruses in circulation.

If your students are exhibiting any of the following symptoms, please keep them at home until 24-48 hours after the symptoms are gone:

• fever
• cough
• sore throat
• congestion or runny nose
• nausea or vomiting
• diarrhea
• fatigue
• muscle or body aches
• headache
• shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• new loss of taste or smell

If a student has TWO or more of these same symptoms, families should seek advice for further guidance from the health department, school, or primary doctor while staying at home.

Earlier this week, we received updated guidance from MDHHS with regards to our quarantining process with regards to close contacts of a COVID-19 positive case.

In the past, we have been advised by MDHHS and Oakland County Health Department to quarantine any close contacts (within 3 feet for 15 minutes, unvaccinated) of a COVID-19 positive case for 10 days.

However, this week, MDHHS revised their guidance.  We are no longer required to quarantine every close contact, provided that:

• masks were being worn by both parties
  • the COVID-19 positive individual
  • the individual close contact
• the close contact is asymptomatic
• the close contact agrees to be tested each day prior to entering the school building (7 days).

Close contacts who were eating lunch with masks removed will most likely not qualify for this new guidance, because masks were removed for a significant portion of the contact time (over 15 minutes.)

MDHHS is also supplying free rapid tests for us to use to conduct this testing, so it will be free of charge for all families.

While we are eager to comply with this new guidance in order to minimize the impact on students and families, it will take some time to initiate this protocol. Our plan is to create a central testing location at Ferndale High School which will offer daily rapid testing for any students deemed a close contact from 7:30 am–9:30 am each morning. We hope to begin offering this within the next week, provided we are able to secure enough tests to begin.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this new process.

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