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I I would like to introduce myself as the new OSPI Health Services Consultant and welcome you to what I hope is the first of many regular school health updates. I started this position on October 1 and have been working hard to catch up. I look forward to working with all of you towards protecting the health of Washington State children and youth and supporting access to education. I wish you a peaceful holiday season and hope that 2021 brings us much needed relief from the upheavals of 2020.
Sincerely,
Annie Hetzel, MSN, RN, NCSN - School Health Services Consultant
In collaboration with the Department of Labor & Industries, we are pleased to bring you a workshop for Washington state school administrators, nurses, facilities professionals, and anyone else who may be involved in the creation and implementation of respiratory protection plans. This training will be held January 12, 2021, 10am-12pm. Please see the flyer linked here for more information and to register or go directly to registration.
New Washington state guidance was issued by the department of Health on December 16, 2020 for reopening schools including a new decision tree to help guide decision-making for bringing students back to in-person instruction. The following links are for guidance documents updated December 16, 2020 unless otherwise noted.
K-12 Schools 2020-2021 Guidance
Tools to Prepare for Provision of In-Person Learning among K-12 Students at Public and Private Schools during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Washington State K-12 School Testing Guidance
Evaluation and Management of Persons with New Unexplained Symptoms of COVID-19 updated 12/15/2020
In 2020, the legislature passed substitute house bill 1551 aiming to de-stigmatize HIV/AIDS in required employee trainings. Section 11 of this bill requires OSPI to adopt rules that require continuing education for public school employees on the prevention, transmission and treatment of blood-borne pathogens, rather than a focus on HIV/AIDS. This work is just starting and will involve revisions to WAC 392-198 and updating the Blood born pathogens presentation and training guidelines in consultation with the Department of Health.
Updates will be forthcoming on the progress of this work.
School nurses and administrators have inquired about the requirements for student vision and hearing screening during remote learning and safety considerations during the pandemic. Some national guidance exists from the National Association of School Nurses and Prevent Blindness, an advocacy group. OSPI has met with a representative of the Washington State Board of Health (SBOH) to communicate district concerns related to screening and work towards guidance addresses the risks for children and youth undetected vision and hearing loss. SBOH staff are considering how to best address screening school children in light of the pandemic and the impact that hearing and vision loss have on student learning. We anticipate an update by the end of January 2021.
A pilot for COVID-19 testing in schools is underway statewide, working with 11 volunteer school districts to implement a testing program individualized to each school community to best meet the needs each district. In partnership with the Department of Health, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Curative, and other stakeholders, the goals of this pilot is to determine best practice for providing school based COVID-19 testing and creating a play book for districts. Districts have autonomy in designing the testing program to fit their needs in consultation with their local health jurisdictions. Individuals seeking the tests will register on a website and input all required information. This will minimize the administrative burden and HIPAA concerns for districts. Those without insurance will still be covered and there will be no billing required on the part of the district. Five pilot districts will start offering testing by the end of December with six more following in January. More information will be forthcoming in January.
Please contact us at healthservices@k12.wa.us or by phone: (360) 725-6054
We check phone message intermittently. During the pandemic, email is the best way to contact Health Services staff for a more immediate response.
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ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.
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