Health & Safety

Important Information Regarding the Coronavirus

• COVID-19 Communications from OCM BOCES

• Free Online Learning Resources for Parents & Teachers

• Communication Updates for OCM BOCES Staff Only

• COVID-19 Resources for the ELL Community

• OCM BOCES Cloth Mask Request Form

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Important Note to Families Regarding COVID-19

A new coronavirus called 2019 Novel (new) Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was first found in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and has now spread all over the world. It is also referred to as COVID 19. This virus had not been found in humans before. This coronavirus can lead to fever, cough and trouble breathing or shortness of breath. There are thousands of diagnosed cases in China and new cases being diagnosed in a number of countries, including the United States.

What do we know?

Since this virus is very new, health authorities continue to carefully watch how this virus spreads. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working hard to learn as much as possible so we can better understand how it spreads and causes illness. The latest information from the CDC related to 2019 Novel Coronavirus can be found here.

How does COVID 19 spread?

According to the CDC, the virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person — between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet), and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.

How can it be prevented?

There are currently no vaccines available to protect against this virus. The New York State Department of Health (DOH) recommends the following ways to minimize the spread of all respiratory viruses, including Covid 19:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing. If you use a tissue, throw it in the trash.
• Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• CDC recommends that travelers avoid all travel to China.

What is OCM BOCES doing in response?

Like school districts across the state, OCM BOCES will continue to follow recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and the New York State Department of Health.  All three organizations are monitoring the situation closely and will provide us with updates as the situation warrants.

On Tuesday, March 3, OCM BOCES Deputy Superintendent Colleen Viggiano met with officials from the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Education Department to get the most up-to-date information on this growing health challenge. She has also been meeting with OCM BOCES administrators and school district leaders to ensure safety plans and other contingency measures are in place to accommodate students and staff as the situation evolves.

As you may know, OCM BOCES utilizes extensive cleaning measures to combat the spread of cold and flu-like viruses in our buildings. We have been increasing these measures as a result of COVID 19 and purchasing extra alcohol-based hand sanitizers for our buildings to mitigate the spread of respiratory viruses. Additionally, we are continuing to promote effective handwashing in our schools and workplace, while encouraging those who are ill to stay at home. These practices are recommended to reduce the spread of illness.

Where can I find more information?

Here are some additional resources:

• CDC’s dedicated COVID 19 website at https://www.cdc.gov/nCoV.
• NYS DOH’s dedicated Covid 19 website at https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/
• Onondaga County Health Department: http://www.ongov.net/health/coronavirus.html
• NYS DOH directory of local health departments https://www.health.ny.gov/contact/contact_information/
• New York State Center for School Health website at www.schoolhealthny.com

Who can I call with health-related questions?

If you have questions, please contact your local department of health or the NYS Department of Health coronavirus hotline at 1-888-364-3065.

Mental Health & Wellness Guidance from the New York State Department of Health:

Are you addressing your mental health and well-being during this pandemic? We thought it would be nice to share a very informative guide that was released today from state health officials:

For Yourself:

• Reduce anxiety by reducing risk. Ways to reduce risk include practicing good hygiene (e.g. sneezing and coughing into your elbow, sneezing into a tissue and immediately throwing the tissue away, wash hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20seconds, etc.). In addition, create a plan in case your regular routine is disrupted, such as setting up remote work and alternative childcare arrangements. Setting out a plan can help reduce anxiety by taking charge of the things you can control.
• Manage your information flow by choosing reliable sources and establish boundaries on checking for updates. Getting regular, factual information is important. However, continuously scrolling through social media or constantly refreshing the news is likely to lead to increased anxiety. Pick a few trusted news outlets – such as the state and local health authorities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or World HealthOrganization – and commit to checking once or twice a day for updates.
• Monitor your anxiety levels. Anxiety is a normal response to a stressful situation and can provide adaptive benefits in many situations. However, when faced with mounting uncertainty, your brain can go into an anxiety spiral that is no longer helpful. Knowing the difference between typical and atypical stress is important. Monitoring your stress level will let you know when you need to seek additional help. A typical stress reaction may include temporary difficulty concentrating; irritability and anger; fatigue; stomachache; and, difficulty sleeping.
• An atypical stress reaction may include a persistent and/or excessive worry that doesn't lift and keeps you from carrying out your daily tasks. If you experience significant changes in your energy level, eating patterns, or sleeping patterns, difficulty concentrating on normal tasks, prolonged and overwhelming worry and hopelessness, or thoughts of self-injury or suicide, seek out immediate help at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text Got5 to 741741
• Practice good self-care, including exercise, eating healthy foods, and sleeping an adequate amount at night. If possible, spend some time outside. Avoid staying up late to monitor the news.
• Virtually reach out to different types of support networks, such as family, friends, colleagues, faith-based communities, and social organizations to strengthen your overall feeling of connection. Isolation and loneliness feed anxiety.
• Find meaningful tasks and roles within your support network to channel your anxiety, such as coordinating deliveries of groceries to those unable to leave home, curating kids’activity ideas for parents working from home, or video calling or calling those who might feel socially isolated. Supporting others is beneficial to the supporter as well.
• Find or create spaces that are not focused on COVID-19. Start a social media thread about other topics, ask friends to discuss other topics, or watch your favorite TV or movie.
• Savor small positive moments, amplify positive stories, and stay optimistic. Try to cultivate a mental wellness practice, such as writing in a gratitude journal, or talking nightly with your family about moments during the day that was fun or enjoyable.
• Take an opportunity to practice mindfulness when managing anxiety. Mindfulness tools like grounding exercises, sensory modulation, and deep breathing may be helpful.

For Individuals Receiving Mental Health Services:

• As soon as possible, work with your mental health provider on a coping plan. Think about helpful coping skills you can practice daily and be mindful to those coping skills that you may turn to that are otherwise harmful to your safety and well-being. For example, if you know that music, walking outside, reframing your thoughts, and connecting with others is helpful, think about ways you can incorporate those into your daily life. If you know that you might struggle with ruminating, self-injury, substance use, or other strategies that might be harmful to your safety and well-being, identify alternative coping methods with your provider. Write out a plan to help prepare you for heightened anxiety.
• Work with your mental health providers on specifically managing anxiety and ask them to help you come up with practical skills that you can rehearse.
• Work with your mental health providers on alternative options if your routine services are disrupted. These might include using telemental health services, getting prescription medication, or engaging in supplemental mental wellness activities.
• Seek positive peer support. Connect yourself to others who understand your experiences and can assist in problem-solving. If social distancing increases feelings of isolation, look into online peer supports or peer hotlines.

For Parents, Including Parents of Children with Pre-Existing Anxiety Disorders:

• Think about and rehearse scripts for talking with your kids about COVID-19. Kids take cues from caregivers about how anxious they need to be about a topic. Seek out resources and media to assist in your preparation.
• Talk about the situation openly. Most kids elementary-aged and up have heard about COVID-19 or coronavirus. Avoiding the topic or providing blanket reassurances is more likely to feed anxiety. If kids bring up the topic, let them know you are glad they brought it up. This increased the likelihood that they will come to you with further anxieties or questions.
• Don’t give more information than is requested. Part of a developmentally appropriate approach is to answer the question your child asks, but not necessarily more than that. Check to make sure they understood your response by asking them to repeat back what they heard, and let them know you are open to more questions. Reassure your child that it is normal to feel scared or anxious.
• Help your school-aged child and adolescent set boundaries on their information flow in the same way you are setting your own boundaries. Help them identify factual sources of information and set appropriate intervals to check-in. Encourage them to use their media literacy skills to question the messages they are getting from various information channels. Consider limiting media exposure or consuming media with your child so that you can be available to interpret and explain information.
• Keep as many routines intact as possible. For kids who may be out of school and/or have extra-curricular activities canceled, it is helpful to keep other routines, like mealtimes and bedtimes. To the extent possible, for kids who are at home for longer periods of time, set up a structure. Collaborate with your child to come up with a loose schedule, such as an outdoor activity and lunch prep in the morning, and a movie and homework time in the afternoon.
• Find fun ways to maintain contact with individuals your child is separated from, such as elderly grandparents or classmates at school. Set up opportunities to maintain and even grow connections, such as reading a book to grandparents on video calls or sending postcards to friends.
• Encourage physical activity and time outside, where possible. Both staying active and having opportunities to be in nature are helpful in mitigating anxiety and building resilience.
• Use this as an opportunity to teach distress tolerance skills that will be helpful to your kids in any situation. This is a great time to learn about purposeful breathing, guided imagery, distraction, and other skills.

For Caregivers of Elderly Individuals:

• Facilitate ways for the individual to maintain social connections. As the elderly have been told to isolate as much as possible, it is likely that social isolation and loneliness may take a toll on physical and mental health. Set up and provide technological assistance for family and friends to stay connected to the individual. Consider coordinating a group of people to check in on a rotation so that the individual feels the support of a network.
• Encourage the individual to stay as active as possible, for both their physical and psychological well-being.
• Help the individual find ways where they can help others, such as calling others to check in on them or entertaining grandchildren on FaceTime. Having a purpose and role can reduce anxiety.
• Consider practical ways you can relieve an individual’s anxiety, such as volunteering to order their groceries online or offering to walk the individual’s dog(s).
• In a time of high anxiety, it may be hard for the individual to select reliable sources to get information and updates on COVID-19. Curate a list of reputable media and write them down for the individual.
• Practice self-care and be compassionate to yourself. While caregiving is a demanding and rewarding role at the best of times, being a caregiver during a time of heightened concern is particularly stressful. If possible, find a way to take small breaks, rotate responsibilities with others, and practice your own mental health strategies.

For Mental Health Providers:

• Place a priority on self-care, including getting adequate rest and exercise, eating healthy food, maintaining social connections, and taking time away from service provision as possible.
• Prepare for heightened anxiety in the individuals in your care and prepare your own toolkit on skills and scripts that might be helpful.
• Work with your colleagues to prepare back-up plans for crisis management, such as telemental health or alternate therapeutic arrangements, so that you are prepared if there is a disruption in services. Work with your supervisor and colleagues to rotate functions and cross-train as much as possible
• Set up peer supports, such as peer supervision and consultation, to connect with others who are in a similar situation. Setting up spaces to discuss the toll of vicarious trauma and anxiety is an important part of self-care.
• Seek out professional help as needed. Remember that the provision of mental health care during a crisis is challenging and it is critical that you address your own stress and anxiety.