Madison City Schools preparing for possible local outbreak of coronavirus

MADISON – Local authorities have joined state and national agencies preparing for the possible outbreak of the COVID-19 Coronavirus. That includes the Madison City Schools.

So far there have been no instances of the virus in Alabama, but neighboring states like Tennessee and Georgia are reporting their first cases.

In his first week as interim superintendent Eric Terrell has been faced with the task of organizing measures the school district plans to take in case of a local outbreak.

“Madison City Schools has been in constant contact with our city and state officials, including the Alabama Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Alabama State Department of Education, and local government leaders,” Terrell said. “These groups are building, revising and implementing plans that we will use with our own set of protocols to keep our students, employees and community safe and informed.”

Terrell said he has been holding meetings with district administrators and school principals to revisit the school system’s emergency operations plan to handle situations like an outbreak of the virus.

“Our operations division is working with our transportation department and school custodians to help keep common surfaces sanitized, and working to secure necessary supplies for our system,” Terrell said.. “Our district nurse is communicating with school nurses to promote good hygiene, and to remind students and staff to stay at home if they have been running a fever or exhibiting signs of a fever.

“We emphasize the importance of proper ‘respiratory etiquette’ and frequent hand-washing to limit the spread of germs,” Terrell added. “Additionally, our instruction team stands ready with plans to minimize lost instruction through any school closing.”

The school district does not have any school sanctioned overseas trips planned for Spring Break. “We know there may be families that do. We encourage families to follow the CDC’s information on travel and help us by communicating such travel with your principal,” Terrell said.

The Madison City Schools website at www.madisoncity.k12.al.us has a health tab that has recently been updated to include important links on COVID-19. It has information on the coronavirus including a comics-style explanation for kids, travel precautions, the flu and other good health tips.

Terrell promised that families would be notified immediately if the school district receives any information concerning the virus that requires action.