C UNIONCOUNTY north carolina September 24,2021 De, Andrew Houlihan, Superctendent Union County Public Schools 400 N. Church Street Monroe, NC 28112 ear Dr Houtiban: { have previously informed Usion County Pubic Schools of the required COVID-19 control measures, Which ar legally binding upor UCPS under G.S. § 130A-144(). In accordance with my statutory duties under GS. § 130A-44() and forthe avoidance af furher doubt or dispute, Lam hereby formally giving ‘you the COVID-19 communicable disease contol measures with which you are legally required to ‘comply. 1am als reminding you of the legal obligation that UCPS has to provide the local health director ‘with information determined bythe local heath director to be necessary to perform the statutorily required duties regarding COVID-19 ease investigations and minimizing communicable disease spread in the school and in our local community. Failure to comply with ether requirement maybe subject o legal enforcement under ether o bth GS. §§ 1304-18 and 1304-25, which provide for eivil an criminal enforcement LUCPS has been informed bythe Secretary ofthe North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services that, n accordance wth the contol measures and the StomgSchoolsNC Toolkit andthe ongoing decision not to adopt a masking requirement, you must exclude COVID-19 positive cases and close ‘contacts from in-person school attendance in accordance withthe isolation and quarantine guidance listed in the control measures and elected in the Toolkit. In order to protet our children and the community fiom the dangerous pblic heath impacts of COVID-19, our stafFhas been diligently working to identity lose contacts a required by tle State-mandated contol measures. The Union County Board of Education, however, has taken several actions to prohibit UCPS staf from patieipating in contact racing to detemnine close contacts of positive cases who must be excluded from in-person school in accordance ‘with the contol measures As fe Stat and local health authorities have communicated to UCPS on several occasions, the sant information we have been receiving, from UCPS i insufficient to permit the local health department to carry out is statutory duty to protect the students andthe publi fom tennsmission oa dangers communicable disease. Additionally, your choices to date have placed UICPS inthe position of needing to exude more students fom in-person school ttendance than would otherwise be necessary if fallet cooperation and compliance withthe contol measures had been provided to identify and exclude persons who may have been meaningfully exposed fo a student or staf member known tobe infectious with COVID-19 while inthe school sting, ‘Therefore, in conformance with GS. § 130A-144(6), 1am now formally requiring that UCPS personnel begin immediately complying with the following contol measures in conformance with G.S. §§ 130A- 14a and 1304-14400}: Union County Human Services Division Public Health 20 Concord Ave Morvoe, NC 28110, 17042564200G UNIONCOUNTY north carolina 1. Bxelude student, staf and visitors, from schoo facilities or activites, in conformance with CDC _uidance and the cont! measures, who are known or reasonably suspected tobe infected with ‘COVID-19 and promptly communicate to each parent or guardian of the student or staff member the period of their exclusion; 2. Exclude students, staf, and visitors, rom schoo! faites or activities, in conformance with the contro! measures, whe ae known of reasonably suspected to have been close contacts with postive case of COVID-19, defined a being within six (6) fet ofa student, tatT member, ot Visitor who has COVID-19 for more than 15 minutes total in any 24-hour period, and promplly ‘communicate to each arent or guardian of a student or staff member the period oftheir exclusion. For more information regarding exclusion of elose contacts, including the available exception to such exclusions please se the Toolkit, 3. Prompily provide to te duly designated State and local public health authorities any and al record or informatio necessary to protect students, sta, and the public from the spread of COVID-19, including the following by way of example: Curren, lepibl, and schematically and spatially accurate classroom seating charts for ll periods ofthe day for each student provided to you as having tested positive for COVID- 19, Such seating charts shal inlude at minimum each students egal ame, contact information (one, email address, and mailing addres) for their parent or guardian, the dimensions ofthe desks and tables at which stdents sit, and the distance between the desks and tables; b. Current, egibe, complete, and accurate class rosters, including students’ legal names, dates of birth and known contact information (phone, email address and mailing sures) for heir parents or guardians, foreach class in which a identified student has been for more than 15 minutes during designated days; © Current, lei, complete, and accurate attendance records, with all known contact information (phone email address, and mailing addres) for the students’ parents or ‘guardians, orgnized by clas attended, for each day in which a designated stadent has been located fr more than 15 minutes onthe two days the postive case was last in class Prior to thee recip of a positive tes result 4. Forthose postive eases who are involved ona sports team with which they practiced or Played for more than 15 minutes ttl in a single 24-hour period during the two ays poe to the postive case’ receipt ofa postive test result curent,lepible. complete. and ceurate sports eam ostets with coach names, team member legal names and dates of birth and cont information (phon, email adress, and mailing address) forthe coaches and parents or guardians of the tem members; . Forthase postive cases who ae involved in clubs o other school-sponsored cextracuricula activites with which they met fr more than 15 minutes total ina single 24-hour peti during the two days prior tothe positive case's receipt ofa positive est resul, current, legible, compete, and accurate group membership ists with adult supervisor logs names, group member legal names and dates oF bh, and contact Information (phone, email address, and mailing addres) forall adult supervisors and patents or guardians ofthe group members; and Uunioncountyne.govG UNIONCOUNTY north carolina Such addition information that is required bythe State or Local Health Director Pursuant ola. By la, UCPS is required to comply with the state mandated control measures and to provide the local health department wit information determined to pertain to the “diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of a ‘communicable disease or communicable condition for a person infected, exposed, or reasonably suspected of being infected orexposed to such disease or condition." The statutorily provided ‘enforcement mechanisms for lure fo adhere fully to these legal obligations may result in criminal or civil ation agains those not found to bein legal compliance In light of ou shared responsiblity to protect the health and safety ofthe students and sain Union County sehoos, and to the Unon County community asa whole, Lope we ean work together to mitigate the most dangerous outcomes af COVID- 19 and the Det variant and soon return to pattern of normaley. Lam asking for you acknowledgement of receipt and written affirmation of compliance no later than Monday, September 27, a 5:00 P.M. Union County Public Health Director ce: Jarod MeCraw, Assisant Superintendent of Student Support, ‘Wendy Nielsen, RN, MSN, NCSN, School Nurse Supervisor unioncountyne.gov