Independence School District - COVID-19 Information

Current Press Releases

Independence Community Coalition

Independence Community Coalition is a group of Independence residents who are working together to help support our community with COVID-19 related issues. Please read and reach out if you or others are in need.

Protecting Our Students and Community from Coronavirus

Symptoms of Coronavirus - fever, cough and shortness of breath

The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. To help prevent the spread of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in Wisconsin and the United States that has occurred in other countries such as Italy and China, Independence School District is requesting that families keep students home from school and contact their physician to ask to be tested for Coronavirus if a student has these symptoms:

Fever
Cough
Shortness of breath

Please contact the school (715-985-3172) to report the absence and symptoms. Learn more about the symptoms and treatment of Coronavirus at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website. Those at highest risk for Coronavirus complications are older adults and individuals with compromised immune systems or heart, lung, and kidney disease.

We have no known cases of COVID-19 among students or staff in Independence School District.

We continue to closely monitor the situation with our County Health Departments, as well as review updates from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Department of Public Instruction and the CDC. Here is the latest information on confirmed cases in Wisconsin - in Fond Du Lac, Pierce, Waukesha, and Dane counties. Another 37 WI residents are returning from a cruise where they may have been exposed and will be self-quarantined for 14 days. Nationally, there have been approximately 1,000 confirmed cases and 30 deaths (none in Wisconsin).

What You Can Do and Our Cleaning Measures

Independence School District has a routine cleaning regimen in place to help reduce the spread of germs and communicable diseases. In addition to our regular cleaning and disinfection, we are increasing the cleaning of high-touch areas and hard and soft surface items throughout the day. We will follow all guidelines of the CDC and our local and state health departments.

We all play a role in helping reduce the spread of communicable diseases. We are asking our students, staff, and families to practice regular preventive actions (see flyer in English, Spanish, Hmong and Mandarin Chinese) including:

Wash your hands regularly, for 20 seconds, using soap and hot water. Make sure to wash your fingertips. This is especially important after using the restroom, coughing or sneezing into your hands, and before preparing or consuming food.
Avoid coughing or sneezing into your hands or in the air. Always try to cough or sneeze into a tissue, and then throw the tissue away. If you don’t have a tissue, cough/sneeze into your arm.
As much as you can, avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose.
If children are feeling sick, please keep them home from school. Families should have a plan in place for keeping your child home, picking up your child if they are sent home sick, and if schools are closed.

School Closure and Travel Restrictions

This is a rapidly evolving situation, with the World Health Organization declaring Coronavirus a pandemic, Gov. Tony Evers declaring it a public health emergency and the President issuing a month-long ban effective March 13 on all travel from Europe to the U.S.

We will continue to monitor the situation and be in contact with area school districts and health departments about whether to close any schools. As of March 12, the state of Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is not recommending school closures. Instead, DHS is asking schools and organizations to

Cancel events with over 250 people
Avoid non-essential domestic travel
Avoid traveling to areas in the US with sustained community transmission of COVID-19 (currently Washington, New York, and California). See map of US sustained community transmission of COVID-19.
Self-quarantine for 14 days upon return for anyone who travels to any U.S. states with confirmed community spread of COVID-19.

Many families have travel plans for spring break. If your family is planning to travel to a country with a Level 3 travel health notice, please contact the health assistant (Patti Klimek, 715-985-3172) before returning to school. The CDC is asking you to self-quarantine for 14 days. Read more about travel on the CDC's website.

If schools were to be temporarily closed for an extended period of time, we would work to ensure learning could continue for students. Plans are being developed in the case remote learning will be necessary due to extended school closure.

We appreciate your patience with this fluid situation and we will continue to update you as needed. Please rest assured that we will continue to put your students’ safety first. If you have any questions, reach out to Barry Schmitt, District Administrator/HS Principal (715-985-3172) or schmittb@indps.k12.wi.us