This plan for addressing any Coronavirus incident is intended to serve the best interests of students, employees and families in the remote event of an incidence or threat of the Coronavirus infecting a MELA student, employee, volunteer or a family member of any of them.
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While it is anticipated that MELA would have the full support of the Minnesota Department of Health in dealing with a crisis involving a Coronavirus incident, the school has primary responsibility for the health and safety of its students and employees in school. Therefore, MELA will react swiftly and decisively to assure the good health and safety of those individuals if a crisis occurs. This plan is to be implemented if MELA is closed. 
MELA encourages students and staff members to begin the following measures to avoid contracting the Coronavirus and avoiding the spread of it if they unknowingly have it:
  • Washing hands frequently with soap and water for a minute each time
  • Covering their coughs by coughing into their arm—not hands
  • Staying home when sick
  • Avoiding touching their face with unwashed hands
  • Touching uncleaned objects (like door handles and faucet handles) 
  • Accessing sanitizers and wipes available in classrooms should be encouraged

Additional steps MELA will take to help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus
  • The level of cleaning and disinfecting will be accelerated in common spaces and classrooms.
  • Teachers in each classroom will provide regular access to disinfecting solutions so students can keep their hands and work surfaces clean.
  • Parents are asked to encourage their children to increase their personal access to these wipes and hand sanitizers.
  • The following interim CDC guidance was developed in response to questions about the role of masks for controlling seasonal influenza virus transmission.
The decision to close would involve the Minnesota Departments of Education and Health, and MELA would be responsible for implementing the closure. In each of those situations, the Department of Health would decide the need for quarantining people on a case-by-case basis.

There are several scenarios involved if there is ever a decision to close MELA due to the Coronavirus, including:
  • An emergency closure by MELA if a student, employee or volunteer showed clear signs of having the Coronavirus during school.
  • Students in the identified and closed schools have siblings and friends in other schools.
  • Students or adults from open schools may have been exposed to students or adults from closed schools in various settings from close to not at all close.
  • All of this is simply to illustrate how complex the process of separating infected or exposed people from those whom the Department of Health decides were not exposed sufficiently to quarantine.

In case a decision to close MELA has been made by the Department of Health or the District itself, instruction for all students will be provided. Should a closure occur we would follow our Flex Learning Day plan and make adjustments accordingly.
Monitoring the health condition of students, employees and family members
  • MELA will closely monitor the health conditions of students and employees while they are in school in order to detect any potential for the presence of an infectious illness, including Coronavirus.
  • MELA is also asking parents to work with us to help prevent any spread of the Coronavirus if it comes to our community. MELA requests the immediate notification of any family member who exhibits any serious symptoms that could impact students or staff members.
  • However, the Minnesota Department of Health has primary responsibility for the overall monitoring of Minnesota residents who may be exposed to the Coronavirus, and they would inform MELA of steps they expect MELA to implement.
Monitoring the health condition of students, employees and family members
  • The Minnesota Department of Health will have primary responsibility for managing the existence of the Coronavirus in any student, employee or family member; and the District will cooperate fully.
  • In the event that the presence of the Coronavirus in either a student, employee or volunteer is first discovered at school, MELA will need to take immediate control of the situation until the Department of Health can intervene and take appropriate actions.
  • MELA has protocols in place for immediate isolation of the person involved, communication to families with students at MELA and our employees, and the safe transportation of infected or exposed students if such an event occurs.

Monitoring the exposure of students, employees, and family members to the Coronavirus

  • MELA cannot possibly know the interactions of students, employees or family members outside of school; however there would be an immediate effort to identify social interactions of any infected persons related to our schools.
  • Again, the Minnesota Department of Health will assume primary responsibility in the event of anyone in Minnesota becoming infected, and MELA will cooperate fully with the Department in the steps to be taken.