Ada schools issued a statement regarding the COVID-19 virus on Ohio Alerts at 3:52 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10. The statement follows:

The recent outbreak and spread of Coronavirus or COVID-19 has prompted a lot of media attention as well as questions and concerns on the impact it may have on schools. 

No confirmed cases in Hardin County
While no confirmed cases have been reported in Hardin County, the Ada School District is working closely with health officials and being especially careful to continue aggressive illness prevention habits (as we do during any flu season or outbreak), including disinfecting of surfaces, frequent hand washing or use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers (when appropriate) with students and staff. 

We know it is easy to feel anxious in light of the information reported, but want to encourage parents and students to remain calm and be aware of proactive steps each of us can take to minimize illness and where to turn for accurate information. 

State of Ohio resources
The Ohio Department of Health has some great resources (https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/home/resources/How-...), as does the Center for Disease Control, or CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/). 

The State of Ohio has set up a hotline that citizens can call with any questions you have about COVID-19. The number is 1-833- 4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634). The call center is manned seven days a week from 9 a.m., to 8 p.m.

We are aware that rumors tend to spread and details morph when they spread. As such, we wanted to reassure our families that any rumor about Ohio Northern University having had a confirmed case of COVID-19 are inaccurate. 

ONU is a trusted community partner to us in education, and we are in close contact with them. While they did have a very small group of students travel abroad, and in an abundance of caution self-quarantine, no known exposure, no symptoms, and certainly no confirmation of a case has been reported at Ohio Northern. 

We will continue to be in communication with them, and would alert our families should there be different news at a later date.

School is meeting and communicating with area health agencies
Currently, the administration of Ada Schools is meeting and communicating with area health agencies and experts, monitoring news alerts from local, state, and federal agencies, and determining a plan should we have to shift our educational efforts to electronic means. 

We will update our students, staff, families, and community should a change in procedure need to occur. 

The safety of our school staff and students is of utmost priority to us. For now, we remain vigilant, continue to assess our capacity to meet any recommendations and requirements from pertinent agencies, and continue to practice science based hygiene and health standards in all of our facilities. 

As with this update, we will continue to use text alerts and post updates on our webpage as the situation evolves. Thank you for trusting us to keep health and safety a priority in our decision making. 

Yours in education, Mrs. Skilliter, Superintendent