We the undersigned parents, teachers and stakeholders of Valparaiso Community Schools ask that you adhere to the Porter County Department of Health Guidelines, the Indiana Department of Health Guidelines and the CDC guidelines regarding the management of COVID in our schools. As a community, we share the goal of keeping our kids healthy and safe, an especially challenging task given that COVID cases in Porter County are on the rise and the Delta variant is highly transmissible.

The VCS Board of Education voted to adhere to a reopening plan following the “Return to Learn” plan as presented as of July 2021 regarding the management of COVID in our schools.[1] In choosing to follow the Indiana Department of Health Guidelines, the VCS Board of Education chose to center the expertise of medical professionals while recognizing the challenging and changing situation. In adopting this policy the Board built in flexibility to match the shifting times and potential for changes in COVID guidance. And most critically, the Board vote prioritized the health of our children, our teachers and the whole of our community.

Importantly, the Indiana Department of Health Guidelines and Porter County Department of Health Guidelines rely on guidance from Center for Disease Control (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in determining measures needed to protect our K-12 kids.  In recent days both the CDC[2] and the AAP[3] updated their guidance recommending universal masking for all teachers, students, staff and visitors to K-12 schools over two years in age and regardless of vaccination.

While we understand that most children recover from COVID infections, a growing body of research points to long-haul COVID-19 symptoms in children who had mild cases initially. Evidence from the first study of “long covid” in children suggests that more than half of children between the ages of 6 and 16 who contract the virus have at least one symptom lasting more than four months, with 43 percent impaired by these symptoms during daily activities.[4]

Additionally, communities who failed to do everything in their power a month or two ago to lessen the spread are paying the price now.  Places such as Louisiana are over capacity at pediatric ICUs; their hospitals report now having to routinely resort to extreme measures on more and more children  - measures essentially unseen in non-Covid patients.[5] 

One year ago today (August 27), Indiana was averaging 98 Covid cases/day among kids, 0-17; today, we are averaging 1159 cases/day in the same category.  What about serious illness?   Hospitalization is arguably a better measure; the start of July 2021, average weekly pediatric admissions (an inpatient bed admission): 7 per week.  Third week of August: 84 admissions per week.[6]

IU Health is overwhelmed, and delaying elective surgeries.[7]

We appreciate your leadership and work to keep our children safe. We urge you to abide by your Return to Learn Plan, and convey clear expectations to our community that honor The Indiana Department of Health Guidelines for the 2021-22 school year by instituting Covid-19 safe policies immediately.  

Sincerely,

[1] https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRKAxzGHryej-EclitkfIzvvyML23-L5GIP45btuwIRDk6grULlPZpRtaePIw6lLfUDst14DD627VUN/pub

 
[2]  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-guidance.html

 
[3] https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/covid-19-planning-considerations-return-to-in-person-education-in-schools/
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7927578/
[5] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/27/us/children-covid-delta.html?referringSource=articleShare            
[6] Data  reported by Micah Pollak, using both Indiana State Department of Health and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, healthdata.gov. 
[7] https://www.indystar.com/story/news/health/2021/08/26/iu-health-elective-procedures-surgeries-delayed-amid-covid-surge/5608052001/?fbclid=IwAR20OMNvCvt88kat_A5bRZNIGPS4pU0g3EmJ7rwP5S9NrZIsD8jmIGNbHEk