CSD Health Protocols Keep Schools Safe Ahead of Emerging Illnesses

We sit down with Canyons School District Nursing Specialist Jen Gerrard to translate the medical jargon around communicable diseases and explain why measles, pertussis (whooping cough), and varicella (chickenpox) trigger a very different level of school response than the common cold.

We talk through how these viruses spread, what prevention actually helps, and why staying home with fever still matters. Jen also clears up a point that causes constant confusion: “exposure” vs “outbreak” depends on the specific disease, and measles can be treated as an outbreak with a single confirmed case. You’ll hear how school nurses coordinate with the Salt Lake County Health Department, how risk levels are determined, and what can happen when immunization documentation is missing.

Then we get practical. We cover how to find your vaccination records, why older records can be tough to track down, and how Utah’s Docket app (connected to the Utah State Immunization Information System) can help you access and maintain your immunization history. We also discuss titers, re-vaccination options like the MMR series, and why herd immunity is about protecting the people who can’t get vaccinated, including babies, pregnant people, and immunocompromised community members. Finally, we share what to watch for because measles often starts with cough, runny nose, red watery eyes, and high fever, while the rash shows up later, after contagious spread may already be happening.

If you found this helpful, subscribe, share the episode with a friend.

Chapters

0:00
Measles Cases And Local Context
2:12
Communicable Vs Infectious Basics
3:22
Prevention That Actually Reduces Spread
6:02
School Nurse Response Protocol
7:14
Exposure Vs Outbreak Defined
9:01
Tracking Immunization Records With Docket
13:22
Titers And Re-Vaccination Options
15:22
Upcoming Student Vaccine Clinic
15:46
Risk Levels And Herd Immunity
19:56
Protecting Vulnerable Students And Families
22:49
What To Do If You’re Unsure
23:37
Early Measles Symptoms And Contagious Window
25:56
Masks Telehealth And Safer Testing
27:16
Listener Outreach And Wrap-Up

Transcript

Measles Cases And Local Context

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Connect Canyons, a podcast sponsored by Canyon School District. This is a show about what we teach, how we teach, and why we get up close and personal with some of the people who make our schools great. Students, teachers, principals, parents, and more. We meet national experts too. Learning is about making connections. So connect with us.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Turn on the news or open a news app, and you'll likely have seen recent stories about a rise in communicable diseases, particularly the measles. Here in Utah, we're seeing the same trends as other states. In fact, according to Johns Hopkins, we're in the top five for total cases of measles in 2026. Welcome to Connect Canyons. I'm your host, Frances Cook. In Salt Lake County and our neighboring counties, there have been more than 160 reported cases of measles. We're also keeping an eye on other communicable diseases such as protussis, also known as whipping cough, and chicken pox, also known as varicella. Now, here to help us dissect all of that medical jargon is the woman with the plan for Canyon School District, our own in-house expert, Canyon's District Nursing Specialist Jen Girard. Thank you for joining us, Jen.

SPEAKER_03 1:15

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_01 1:17

Would you tell us more about which top diseases you have on your radar right now?

SPEAKER_03 1:22

We're just at the tell end of the respiratory season. So obviously we've been concerned with the annual influenza season. COVID is still something that's happening. People are testing for it, people are contracting it. And with the state of measles cases in the community, that's a huge concern that we're watching closely. We've had a few cases of protesses this year in the recent well, in the past few weeks.

Communicable Vs Infectious Basics

SPEAKER_01 1:58

You mentioned there's the flu, there's the common cold. How are those different from what we're talking about now? We're talking about measles, protossis, things like that. What is a communicable or infectious disease and how do they differ?

Prevention That Actually Reduces Spread

SPEAKER_03 2:12

Yeah, great question. Communicable versus infectious, I'll start there. Communicable is something that is spread from person to person, where infectious disease can be spread person to person, but it can also be picked up from the environment, such as salmonella from food, or tetanus from soil, things like that. So those are infectious diseases. Um and communicable diseases, specifically what we are talking about is reportable diseases. And while the common cold isn't necessarily reportable unless it's diagnosed as something, COVID is reportable still. It's not, it was highly reportable a couple of years ago where we were really focused heavily on those numbers and that data. Influenza is tracked every year too. And so those positive cases are also reported by healthcare providers. What I'm paying close attention to is the reportable diseases that are also vaccine preventable. And so measles, protessis, varicella, all of those things are their school required vaccines for those. And the success rate of those vaccines has been very high. And so we haven't seen those cases of outbreaks and things like that in our schools as frequently over the past several decades because of those vaccines coming in and doing a good job to protect people.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

So let's go deeper into how those three diseases spread. We know vaccines help prevent it, but what are we looking for when it comes to attempting to not get it?

SPEAKER_03 3:35

The obvious one is hygiene. We always talk about hygiene, hand hygiene. Uh that's gonna give you some protection from catching things. Anything that you contract from the environment on your hands, let's say you touch a doorknob or a desk or something that has somebody else's droplets on it, you could potentially get sick from many of these things. Uh once that contaminated surface you've made contact with it, and then you get that into your mucous membrane somehow. So your mouth, your nose, your eyes, you have the potential to get sick. The vaccine preventable viruses specifically, uh vaccine is going to be your best option for protection, and not everybody can get vaccines. I mean, there are those that are immune compromised, they can't get some of these vaccines. People who are pregnant, they specifically cannot get an MMR vaccine during pregnancy. And so there's some restrictions, and then there's also personal beliefs, religious beliefs that people have the option to choose if they want to be vaccinated or not. But vaccines have been proven to reliably prevent the spread of many of these reportable diseases that we experience or that we're concerned about, especially specifically the ones that are for school required vaccines. Now, as far as protecting yourself, we talked about hand hygiene and things like that, but also protecting others. If you are sick, it's best to stay home. If you're running a fever, if you are concerned that what you have might be spread to somebody else, it's always best to avoid contact with others. Stay home. Don't go to the grocery store, don't go to the library, don't go to school or work. If you can avoid it, that's gonna help protect our community.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

So kind of the same basics that we really embraced during the COVID pandemic, just not at that level. Right. Yet.

School Nurse Response Protocol

SPEAKER_03 5:19

And I think that the stark difference between what we're experiencing now with measles and what we experienced during COVID is when COVID came out, there wasn't any vaccine option. So it was we were reliant on isolating those that were sick, quarantining those that were exposed, and using good hygiene practices in the environment and for people in general. Where measles, we've had a vaccine for quite a while and we've had high vaccination rates for the most part. And while Utah or Salt Lake County isn't necessarily at what they would consider herd immunity, we still have a pretty high vaccination rate, and so that's gonna help prevent, you know, that wildfire spread that we saw with COVID, where m people are getting exposed, but if they're protected, they're not getting sick and they're not continuing to spread the virus.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

As you and your team are tracking these communicable diseases, what steps do our school nurses then take?

SPEAKER_03 6:09

In our response protocol, the school nurse is going to be the main point of contact that will be the liaison between the school and the family and the health department. We will take all of our guidance from Salt Lake County Health Department as far as how we respond if there is an exposure or a confirmed case. And so our response protocol really outlines that information. We also wrote it up in a way that it can be used for any of the reportable illnesses that we may experience that are vaccine preventable. So a case of protesses, we're following the same protocol, a case of measles, varicella, whatever hepatitis A. And then how we respond will be dependent upon which communicable disease we're experiencing or we're dealing with. And we kept that sort of broad in the sense of risk categories, and the risk categories will vary depending on you know what the health department is identifying as an outbreak versus an exposure, and who's at high risk, moderate risk, or low risk, depending on vaccine status.

SPEAKER_01 7:14

Can you clarify the difference between exposure and outbreak?

SPEAKER_03 7:20

Yeah, so if we have one confirmed case of, let's say, varicella, so chicken pox, one confirmed case in a school is not considered an outbreak. It's like five in the same grade level or class. And that one, there's a lot more leeway and it's a lot easier to isolate. And it's just not classified the same. Where measles is typically one case in a school with exposures, meaning that they came in contact with other people or they were in the building while contagious. That's considered an outbreak. And they're going to take that response a lot more seriously than if we have one case of chicken pox. So protessis, uh, three cases is considered an outbreak. So each different reportable disease has a definition for what's considered an outbreak, and then the health department has their protocols for how they determine risk and respond.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

That explains why I think a lot of us don't know is it an outbreak? You know, is it just uh an exposure? I think we use those interchangeably.

SPEAKER_03 8:14

Yeah. Yeah, definitely. And uh there is a lot of variation between different viruses, and they're determining, you know, a reportable communicable disease versus non-reportable based on the level of contagion for that specific virus, the severity that of the symptoms that people experience, the risk for hospitalization, the risk for those that are immune compromised. They look at a lot of different variables as they make that determination. And so the same thing applies when they're determining what's considered an outbreak and when they need to start looking at vaccine status and determining who may need to go isolate for two to three weeks, depending on the illness and who can continue to come to school and watch and make sure that they're not having any symptoms.

Tracking Immunization Records With Docket

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Yeah. I'd like to talk about risk status and levels in a moment, but let's continue on the path of the protocol that you've written up. I imagine your team is working a lot with immunization records. And not to date myself, but my records were quite some time ago, and it was a bit of a palavole to try and find my records. And as you mentioned, we're looking at records not just for students, which is probably going to be a little easier to find. They're going to be more recent, more digitally based, but also at some point for teachers and staff as well. So, what advice do you have for people who need help finding those records?

SPEAKER_03 9:32

So finding records from a long time ago is very tricky. And we actually in Canyon School District send out a memo to all employees last March, and then we sent it again in September. And talking about vaccine records specifically, because one of our critical policies is that everybody is required to maintain their own vaccination record. So that's we've known that for years. Until you're required to present that vaccination record, many people don't know where they are and they haven't found them. And it's oftentimes overlooked. And so in the event of a measles case, for example, where one is going to be considered an outbreak and those exposures are going to be taken seriously. I mean, if the health department comes in and says, hey, we need vaccine records for everybody, and anybody that doesn't have documented two doses is home for three weeks monitoring for symptoms. It's very important that employees specifically take action to find their records and knowing that that can be a real challenge. The feedback we've received since sending those memos is that those that received vaccination in the you know 80s, 90s, even earlier than that, they are they really struggle. Some have been able to contact their prior healthcare provider. Many, their healthcare provider doesn't practice anymore. So if you were vaccinated in the 60s and 70s, there's a good chance that doctor isn't around anymore, that office isn't around anymore. So we're reliant on possible parents having a record. I know that's not my mom didn't have my record. I had to get blood titers to determine if I had immunity when I needed to present a vaccination record for college. So parents, baby books, I know that in rare circumstances the health department will accept a handwritten note from a mom that says like dates that they were vaccinated. That was a pretty common trend for a period of time when parents were doing that. So if you have a baby book with a vaccine record in it, that could potentially serve as your record depending on the outbreak. You can contact colleges. A lot of times we're still required to give vaccine records to school. And so depending on when you went to school and if that college is still in operation, I did have one employee report that her college went as far as pulling the record from the archives. And so they have been willing to help people on occasion, and so that's a resource you can look at. Former employees, there are some jobs that require vaccine status to be proved, especially in medical facilities, so that could be an option. The Docker app is something that's newer in Utah, and that's a great place to maintain your record moving forward. It's directly connected to USIS, which is the Utah State Immunization Information System. And that system was created in 1995. It became a lot more popular in like the early 2000s, like up to 2004, 2005. So those that were born in the early 2000s generally have a complete record in the system already if they lived in Utah.

SPEAKER_01 12:23

And that's Docket D-O-C-K-E-T.

SPEAKER_03 12:25

Yes, correct. And it's an app that you can download. It will pull your record directly from uses if you have one. So everybody that's had a flu shot within the last 10, 15 years, it's gonna pull up in Docket if it was given in Utah. And so I recommend everybody download the app, get connected to the app, get access to their information that way, and then start maintaining their record there. If you have a vaccination record that is not in the system already, our nurses are more than happy to work with employees, and we've done this a lot, especially since sending out our memo. We gave information on how to get the app, how to access that. And then people were bringing us old uh immunization records from childhood, and we were adding that information to the Utah inf uses. And so then it would start pulling over into their Docker app, which was really helpful. That's super quick information. It's right there on your cell phone. You can access your record anytime you need to. So it's a great resource, and I would encourage everybody to get that up and start maintaining a record there.

SPEAKER_01 13:22

You mentioned having to take a blood test for your vaccination records for college. That's still an option, correct?

SPEAKER_03 13:29

That is an option, yes. So the health department will accept a titer, and a titer is what it's called, the blood test. They basically draw blood, they run to see how much immunity you have to a certain virus and if it meets the threshold to be considered immune, then you're protected. And so a titer is an option. That said, titers are often not covered by insurance unless it's for medical purposes that they need that information, and so it's generally out of pocket. I did provide a couple of resources in the memo, or one resource specifically in the memo, where people could get a more affordable titer for measles specifically. I think it was like$49. And so that's certainly an option if you want to pay for that out of pocket. The other option would be to re-vaccinate if you're comfortable with that. If you can't find records and there's no way you're gonna find records, the MMR vaccine is very well tolerated. We've been administering it now for two years since we started our vaccine program, and we've helped a lot of children and a lot of employees with their vaccines. And I have had zero people have a significant reaction to that vaccine or complication from that vaccine for both students and for employees. And I know that that's still a risk, obviously, but it's pretty well tolerated and it's covered by your insurance. And so if you wanted to get re-vaccinated, it's a two-dose series with each vaccine being given 28 days apart.

Upcoming Student Vaccine Clinic

SPEAKER_01 14:47

I didn't know you could actually re-vaccinate. That's really good to know. I also, as I was doing research ahead of this podcast, saw a lot of places were recommending talking to your insurance provider on things like vaccines, on tests. Are they going to cover it? Are they not going to cover it? Do they have a discount? I think a lot of people don't realize that insurance companies will actually provide discounts on some things. So that's really, I think, helpful for, you know, we've got so many military families, or like you said, parents may not be around to have those records. So it's nice to know that there are steps that you can take. Speaking of your vaccine clinics, your team has been doing a wonderful job of making vaccines available to the Canyons community as a whole. Do you have any clinics coming up?

SPEAKER_03 15:35

We have a student vaccine clinic here at the district office on Thursday, April 23rd from 3 to 6 p.m.

Risk Levels And Herd Immunity

SPEAKER_01 15:44

You mentioned risk levels earlier. I'd like to circle back to that, especially when it comes to those who are unvaccinated. Now we know overall there are generally three risk levels, right? You have your low, your moderate, and your high. But then there's the added layer of risks for different populations. Can you explain some of that?

SPEAKER_03 16:05

Yeah, so as far as our risk level determination for our protocol specifically, the high risk, moderate risk, low risk, those are we're really looking at the potential risk for contracting the virus after being exposed. And so it's mostly related to those that don't have a vaccination history or an immunization record. So as far as low risk, moderate, high risk for those individuals that are at risk for increased risk for complications, that's a totally different conversation. And so I think everybody, and that's oh well, if I back up to herd immunity, I mean that's really the the goal in herd immunity. So maintaining herd immunity for measles vaccination is somewhere around like 92%-ish. Don't quote me on that, but it's somewhere in the 90s, it's in the low 90s, is what they consider to be herd immune just because it's so contagious. Where other illnesses, the herd immunity percentage is much lower, and these they're still getting good protection for the community. So the whole purpose or the whole thought process behind herd immunity is that we vaccinate those that are healthy and able to get vaccinated so that we can protect those that aren't able to get vaccinated, such as young babies. I mean, they don't give MMR vaccines to babies between, you know, it's recommended at age one during an outbreak, and we're there now in Utah, they're recommending babies between the ages of six and 12 months get us an extra dose of MMR so they're getting vaccinated early. And while that doesn't count toward their two doses that they need for to be considered immune or protected, it does give them some protection while they're young. But babies younger than six months can't get an MMR vaccine. So the herd immunity thought is that if everyone around that baby is vaccinated and they're not bringing the virus home to the baby, then we're protecting the baby without having to vaccinate the baby. The same thing applies for those that are elderly and or maybe immune compromised. Those that are experiencing cancer and going through chemotherapy are significantly immune-compromised. Herd immunity is really designed to protect those that can't get vaccinated. And so it's really important to make sure that you're up to date on your vaccinations if you have a young child, if you're thinking of becoming pregnant, if you are taking care of elderly parents, if you're in an environment where you could be potentially exposing those that are at increased risk for complications and aren't able to get vaccinated, or they're just at increased risk overall in general. I mean, it's just really important to have that protection for yourself so that you're not one of the ones spreading the illness.

SPEAKER_01 18:32

Yeah. You look at the data and it is the younger population that is most susceptible to all three of these illnesses that we've been talking about. In the number of cases in the U.S., which were at about 1,500 measles cases nationwide, which sounds you know, in the grand scheme of thing, it sounds low, but if you look at from 2025, the US saw 2,200 cases in that year alone. So we're barely into So we're not even halfway through 2026 and we're already almost at that same benchmark. And nearly 75% of those cases are in children 19 years and younger. You look at chicken pox, same thing. It's gonna be that younger population that is most at risk. So it's really cool to hear how, you know, we as adults can take that step to help the younger ones who might be at risk, who might not be able to have that vaccine yet. That risk level for students is something that you and your team are, you know, processing through, right? You're looking at records, you're looking at who is more at risk because of their vaccination status, or like you said, maybe they have other factors in their life that may prevent them from getting a vaccine. What is the protocol for those students who are at risk when it comes to being in the classroom?

Protecting Vulnerable Students And Families

SPEAKER_03 19:55

Well, I think that that is going to be determined from the health department, specifically related to vaccine status. So the health department will make those decisions on which students were potentially exposed based on our information that we're providing as we contact Trace with the health department. They will determine kind of who's exposed. They'll look at vaccine status and determine who's at increased risk. And then our nurses are working so closely with our schools and our families. And so we are well aware of the students that have immune compromise or have other health conditions that put them at increased risk. And as part of our health care planning process, we may notify a parent that there was a case or a potential exposure, even if their child wasn't in the same class or the same group or didn't move through the building the same way, just because they would prefer to take different steps for their child's safety. And so that's something that is certainly in the realm of considerations if we were to have an exposure. Going back to what you said about our national statistics of measles and our rates and our cases per year, like 2025 is when this big outbreak really took off and started, and we've been rolling with it ever since. That was last early, early 25 2025 is when that started. And it's our biggest outbreak since like 1991 for the US, which is huge. Our closest is in 2019. We had 1200 cases in the US, and then that you know went away for a number of years, and we just had our little sprinkling of cases. But this is far more serious and far more widespread, and it's impacting way more states than what we've seen historically for a long time. So several decades, we haven't experienced anything like this, and that's concerning. And if you are unsure about your vaccine status or your child's vaccine status, I would reach out to your healthcare provider, have conversations with them, determine if it's safe for your child or yourself to get vaccinated, do what you can to protect your family and protect your own herd. We strive to be proactive as much as we can. There's so much about our job that becomes reactive because of the nature of health for students and employees, especially in. Schools, but we are trying really hard to be proactive. And we've been putting the word out to check vaccines, get vaccinated if you can since I mean a year ago. We started this conversation here in Canyons a year ago before it was even in the state of Utah. So we have worked really hard to try to be proactive, especially knowing that employees specifically may have a harder time finding their records and being prepared. We care very much about our students and the employees that we work with. And so we're always looking for the best possible way that we can protect protect our communities and do what's best for everybody.

SPEAKER_01 22:32

Yeah. We've gone over a lot here. I kind of feel like we're in an episode of Grey's Anatomy, which I love. Would you kind of sum up your overall advice for the Canyons community and what you hope to see in the coming months?

Early Measles Symptoms And Contagious Window

SPEAKER_03 22:49

Yeah, so my overall advice would be get vaccinated if you can. If it's something that's um that that you're unsure of, check with your healthcare provider, to have conversations about the risk versus benefits of getting vaccinated, find your records if you don't know where they are. That's going to be super critical. Even if you're exposed in a different environment, if they're able to contact trace that down to you, like you could still need to present a vaccine record. And so I think it's really important to find your records and protect yourself and your families as best you can. So I think that one other thing to know, and the media's done a really good job of communicating this, and so has the health department, Utah Department of Health and Human Services and Salt Lake County. And I mean everybody's communicating it well, but since we're communicating again, we should just say it again. I think when people hear measles, they think rash. And rash is a late sign of measles. So I just want to emphasize that measles starts as a cough and runny nose and high fever. So if you're having those symptoms, it's best to stay home and avoid people. And then the rash typically develops three to four days after your symptom onset starts. You're contagious well before the rash, at least four to five days before the rash starts, and you're contagious for another four to five days after you develop a rash. And so when you hear measles, it it's not always just a rash. And in fact, it's never just a rash, it's usually accompanied by other symptoms that may mimic some of the other respiratory viruses that we experience. The fever tends to be higher than what you would typically see with influenza or strep or these other illnesses. But a fever, cough, red, watery eyes, runny nose, that's where your symptoms start. And then it will progress into a rash days later.

SPEAKER_01 24:36

I think you bring up a good point too about how it's comparable to the common cold or allergies, right? Your eyes get red and watery from allergies. So it's it can be really difficult to tell those things apart. So I guess what I'm hearing is really if you're sick at all, if you're just not sure that what you have is a cold, is allergies, is potentially something much more harmful, stay home.

SPEAKER_03 25:04

Yeah, stay home. If you don't have a fever and you feel well enough to come to work, uh consider wearing a mask to protect those around you. It really does help kind of collect all those droplets and keep them close to you instead of spreading them out in the environment. And then one last thing I will say about rashes is not every rash is measles either. So on the flip side, every rash does not mean we have measles. So check it out. All things to all things to consider. Talk to your school nurse, talk to your healthcare provider.

Masks Telehealth And Safer Testing

SPEAKER_01 25:32

And our nurses are so wonderful. I mean, in my day, I think as a child, I saw a school nurse as someone who would help me if I, you know, got a scratch or I bumped my head or need an ice pack, I have a headache, but they know so much more than that. They're so well-rounded in the knowledge that they possess to at least get you started on the right path. Maybe do our new telehealth calls and call a doctor, find out, yeah, maybe this kid, kiddo, should go home for the day.

SPEAKER_03 26:04

Yeah, and that thank you for bringing up telehealth because we do have a protocol for measles specifically. If we did have a child that we suspected had symptoms of measles and they were in the building already, we there is a protocol in place that we can follow with our telehealth provider to get that diagnosed, the starting point at least, right there in the school. And then students or employees can be sent then to a drive-thru testing center to confirm. But that way we're helping to mitigate additional risk out in the community because they've already been in the building and they're already exposing people. And so if we isolate that situation into one environment where others aren't there, put a mask on the nurse or whoever else is in the room. And then we do have a workflow to follow for that. So that's uh telehealth certainly something. But yes, going back to our nurses, I have an amazing team of nurses. They are so great and they are so knowledgeable and so well-rounded, and we do cover a broad scope of things here in schools. Our practices varied tremendously compared to other areas of nursing, and we have a lot of fun together.

Listener Outreach And Wrap-Up

SPEAKER_01 27:10

Yeah. And you can tell, and you can tell they love the kids. So big time shout out to all of our nurses. Thank you so much for joining us. If there is a topic you'd like to hear discussed on the podcast, send us an email to communications at CanyonsDistrict.org.

SPEAKER_00 27:25

Thanks for listening to this episode of Connect Canyons. Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram at Canyons District, or on our website, CanyonsDistrict.org.