Area School Officials Developing Plans for Coronavirus Outbreak

The following release was provided by Ridgemont Superintendent Sally Henrick following Tuesday’s meeting……

Administrators and school health professionals from each of the Hardin County Schools held a meeting today with leadership from the Hardin County Health Department, the Hardin County EMA, the Hardin Memorial Hospital, and the Hardin County Sheriff’s Department.

The purpose of the meeting was to gather additional factual information about the COVID-19 virus from health professionals, collaborate with these health professionals, and review our current school district emergency response action plans.

As school district leaders we were attempting to take a proactive approach to the spread of the COVID-19 virus should the situation arise where there was a confirmed
case in or near Hardin County or local school districts. Many things were discussed in the meeting and a lot of good information was gathered.

Overall, the districts found there were many areas where our current plans addressed this most recent threat. For instance, we are already working to promote and teach
proper hygiene to stop the spread of flu and cold viruses including; teaching students to wash their hands properly, disinfecting rooms, common areas, and other places where students gather, and monitoring students for signs of sickness.

We collectively understand there is a lot of anxiety and uncertainty among our school students, parents, and other community members. We feel confident we are prepared
to meet this challenge and we promise to continue to work with local and state health professionals so that we can make the best decision about the health and welfare of each and every student attending our schools.

In addition to this press release, the district leaders have collectively put together resources that you can find by visiting any one of our district’s web pages.
Among the items you will find is a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section. Another website you may also want to visit for more information is the Ohio Department of Health https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/home.

Among those attending the meeting were:

.Jennifer Penczarski – Kenton City Schools

.Meri Skilliter – Ada Exempted Village Schools

.Craig Hurley – Upper Scioto Valley Local Schools

.Sally Henrick – Ridgemont Local Schools

.Jeff Young – Riverdale Local Schools

.Jeff Price – Hardin Northern Local Schools

Ohio Northern University in Ada is also working together with local health departments. In a statement on the school’s website, it was stated that the university has an important role in slowing the spread of diseases to help ensure students have safe and healthy learning environments since schools serve students, staff and visitors from throughout the community. 

That comes on the heels of a story reported on Hometown Stations that four ONU students and one faculty member are being quarantined after possibly coming in contact with the coronavirus during a spring break study trip to Costa Rica.

University President Dan DiBiasio said they will be quarantined for 14 days. 

None of them show any signs of any illness. He said the action is being taken as a precaution for the well-being of the community.