Summit Schools Superintendent Issues Letter About Coronavirus

SUMMIT, NJ — After the Centers for Disease Control warned on Tuesday that American schools, businesses, and communities should prepare for the novel coronavirus, Summit Superintendent of Schools June Chang sent out a letter to the school community at 4:29 p.m. Wednesday about the school's response.

The virus had killed more than 2,800 people worldwide as of Thursday morning, news outlets reported, and affected people in 44 countries, including 53 confirmed cases in the United States. Most of those afflicted have been a single province in China.

Concern increased this week after a person in California contracted the disease without traveling, and reportedly without having contact with an infected person.

Several North Jersey school districts sent out letters late Wednesday, including Summit and Millburn.

Millburn issued a detailed letter telling parents about how it is sanitizing the schools. Their letter asked them to move away from alcohol-based sanitizers, which they said are relatively ineffective against the virus.

The email sent out from the Summit School District on Wednesday was less specific, but stated, in part:

<blockquote>While there are no confirmed cases of the COVID-19 in Summit, we have policies in place to guide the district through these types of circumstances. District Policy 8451 - Control of Communicable Disease outlines clear procedures and steps that we follow in any infectious situation. District Policy 8451 further requires that we comply with all regulations of the New Jersey Department of Health and the Summit and Union County Board of Health offices governing the prevention, control, and reporting of communicable disease.

Although these protocols are in place, we recognize this could be an unprecedented situation

which may call for additional collaboration and compliance with the directives from local and state agencies.

As for next steps, we are ready to receive and implement guidance from the CDC, World Health
Organization, as well as state and local health departments. We will also comply with the guidance
provided by the New Jersey Department of Education...</blockquote>

See more of the letter here.