Campbell: Orange Schools in ‘good place’ despite uptick in COVID-19 cases

PEPPER PIKE, Ohio – Superintendent Lynn Campbell believes the Orange City School District is still in a very good place despite what he called “a slight uptick” in COVID-19 cases in Cuyahoga County.

“The county officials shared with superintendents last Friday (April 9) that they are hopeful it’s just a brief uptick,” Campbell told the Orange Board of Education Monday (April 12).

As of Monday (April 12), the district’s COVID-19 dashboard showed six active student cases, no active staff cases and nine students and no staff members in quarantine.

Campbell said while there was an uptick in cases countywide, there was only a 1.5 percent increase in cases in the three primary ZIP codes the district draws from: 44022, 44122 and 44124. He said that was a good sign.

“And while we’re over 5 percent in positivity rate (in Cuyahoga County) at 5.6, our numbers are still in a very good place,” he said.

Campbell said it’s a good time to remind everyone that “we still have to remain vigilant, with our masking especially, and of course, continuing to vaccinate.”

Campbell said he and Lou DeVincentis, the district’s director of communications, are working on putting out a message to district families, encouraging them to get a COVID-19 vaccination and reminding them that students age 16 and over are now eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine.

“I did reach out to the (Cuyahoga County) Board of Health to let them know that we would avail our campus to be a (vaccination) site if they need one,” Campbell said. “They said they would get back to us.”

The district returned to a full-day, in-person learning model for all grade levels March 1. A fully remote model also has been available to all students since the school year began in August.

COVID-19 test kits available

Campbell had indicated to the school board on March 29 that he had been told the Cuyahoga County Board of Health would make about 250 COVID-19 test kits – or 10 percent of the district’s student and staff population – available to the district.

But on Monday (April 12), Campbell said he was informed that the board of health actually had allotted 660 test kits for the district. He said they come in packs of six, and the district was to receive 110 boxes.

Campbell said making these test kits available to families could make it a lot more convenient for them to have students tested.

“The beauty of the testing that they’re offering is you make the kits available, and they don’t really want schools being the testers,” he said. “We won’t test (students); we would just provide the kits to the families.

“Then the parent can follow the instructions and submit the test. They can generate their test results, report what they submit and share that report with us, just like they would if they had gone to Rite Aid or somewhere and gotten it.”

Board President Rebecca Boyle said, “Sometimes I know (families) can’t get a test, like when they want to do it quicker, and maybe they can test their whole family if someone has symptoms.”

Campbell said all school districts in Cuyahoga County were offered the test kits, and districts had to respond if interested.

“I don’t know if everyone got more (than a 10 percent allotment),” he said. “I’m thinking some districts may not have responded, so they increased the numbers to others possibly.”

Boyle said she was aware that a lot of Orange High School students are getting vaccinated.

“I know a lot that went (to the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University to be vaccinated), and others went to other places, which is nice to know that they’re all taking advantage of it,” she said.

Quarantine period reduced

Campbell said the district has reduced its quarantine period from 14 days to 10 days for students and staff who might have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, based on guidance from the Cuyahoga County Board of Health.

“The (County) Board of Health has been encouraging schools to be more in line with the Ohio Department of Health as our case counts and rate of increase have decreased and our positivity has decreased,” he said. “Just after Good Friday (April 2), I was notified for the first time the (County) Board of Health would find it acceptable to have 10-day quarantines because of our masking and everything else we’re doing on campus.”

Campbell said that recommendation was based on an order from the Ohio Department of Health director to allow 10 days without COVID-19 testing for those in quarantine.

“So I met with our COVID response team (April 12), and we’re going to stay in line with our county, like we have all along, and we will allow 10-day quarantines,” he said. “But the nurses will question each person.”

Campbell said quarantining can be complicated for school districts because of privacy issues.

“We can’t say that (a certain) student may have had COVID or a vaccine; we can’t reveal that information,” he said. “Please know that schools are kind of handcuffed in what we can and can’t say.”

Board member Jeffrey Leikin said if parents have more than one child in the school district, and one child has COVID-19 symptoms and is being tested for it, they should keep other children home, as well.

“What happens is when the one sibling tests positive, even though the sibling doesn’t have it, they have to get quarantined,” he said. “So I just wish that somehow we could impress upon these parents that if one is being tested or has symptoms, they need to keep the other kid at home, as well.”

Campbell responded that is true.

“I know the nurses, when they’re informed that a child is staying home because they’re being tested, they will have that conversation or request that, as well,” he said.

Campbell also stressed the importance for families to “pay attention to little symptoms” in their children.

“I know it’s allergy season, but unless you typically have allergies and know how you feel for sure, you can’t assume (it’s not COVID-19) because some of the symptoms are very mild,” he said. “We’d rather you err on the side of caution and get a test.

“We had a student attend (school) for four days last week and found out on the fifth day that they were COVID positive, so that means four days they were in the classroom. Now we have our masks, and we haven’t had any related school cases in that kid’s classroom as of right now, but it could.”

The board’s next regular meeting is at 6 p.m. April 26.

A meeting of the board and the mayors of the five main municipalities that serve the district – Orange, Pepper Pike, Moreland Hills, Hunting Valley and Woodmere – is set for 8 a.m. April 28.

Both meetings are scheduled at the Pepper Pike Learning Center.