Lee Ann Neill thought the bare walls and empty shelves in a storeroom were a sign of a job well done. On Tuesday, nurses for Springfield Public Schools picked up supplies and materials for their school buildings in advance of the upcoming year of classes.
Neill, the director of health services for Springfield Public Schools, said the supplies for each elementary school and site included something new — a handwashing kit that helps children learn exactly how important handwashing is.
Each kit includes an ultraviolet light and a special “germ goo” that kids rub on their hands. After students attempt to wash off the goo, the UV light reveals exactly how much of it is left behind on their hands. The kits were available from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
“It’s one of those cool experimental experiences that students like, and it shows them that just running their hands under water is not good enough,” Neill said. “We get a lot from educational tools that take a science approach like that.”
The lesson is two-fold: Not only does it help students learn how to wash their hands, but also helps keep the people inside a school healthy. That last lesson was something reaffirmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Neill said.
Mitigation plan prepared
As Springfield students and teachers prepare for another year, the district is preparing to handle issues related to communicable diseases, including COVID-19. CoxHealth has been working with the district to offer immunizations required for attendance, and the district refined its management plan in June as part of a regular six-month review.
The district’s Safe Return to In-person and Continuity of Services Plan features no major changes from last school year, Neill said. It calls for regularly monitoring the health of students throughout the year and consulting with the Springfield-Greene County Health Department about any increased outbreaks in the community.
The plan calls for parents to monitor their children for symptoms, and keeping them home when they are sick. It also encourages students to take care of themselves and each other by covering their coughs and sneezes, and learning the importance of washing hands for preventing not only COVID, but a long list of illnesses that can spread between students.
That’s where the new handwashing kits come in.
“One of the things we learned from the pandemic is that it really does benefit you to make sure you are using cough and sneeze etiquette, and proper handwashing,” Neill said. “We want to teach kids from the beginning to wash their hands and to keep their hands away from faces.”
Neill said the district will watch trends regarding absences related to COVID, flu, strep throat and other contagious illnesses, and asks parents to watch for symptoms of those diseases in their children, as well as being on alert after close contact with a patient.
Keeping students healthy is a component of the district's goal for improving its attendance rate. Superintendent Grenita Lathan earlier this month announced a goal of improving the district's rate by 2%.
Some vaccinations required, others recommended
Immunizations are another key component: Each Springfield Public Schools student must have certain immunizations before being allowed to attend.
The COVID vaccination is not on that list of required protections in Missouri. That may be advantageous, because health professionals say an updated shot is on the way.
An omicron variant nicknamed “Eris” is on the rise, leading to increased hospitalizations across the country, according to a report from Reuters. An updated vaccine, tuned to help protect against the omicron variant, is expected to be available in September.
The CDC recommends updated COVID vaccinations for everyone old enough to be in a school building — its advice is for people 6 months old and older. That recommendation also applies to the flu vaccine, suggesting that people could get both in one sitting.
Neill said the district works to ensure its teachers, staff members and students have access to a flu shot. A team travels to every building and site during the fall to provide vaccinations for adults, and CoxHealth’s Caremobile travels to schools to administer shots that the hospital, as well as Mercy Hospital and the health department, provide.
As for the COVID vaccine, the district will make space available for agencies to provide them, but does not organize a drive similar to its flu effort, Neill said.
