VERSAILLES, Ky. — At Woodford County High School in Versailles, students like Axel Lara have to adapt daily to the changes and challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have hand sanitizer in place, we're always being mindful and cleaning desks and mask wearing, except for the special ed students that are unable to wear masks for sensory purposes,” said Kelly Simpson, district health coordinator at Woodford County Public Schools.
Axel is a special education student that, at times, has issues wearing a mask. Recently, it was feared that he had been exposed to COVID-19, something that required Axel to be immediately tested.
Nikki Fedorko, a special education teacher at Woodford County High School, said it was important to consider Axel’s needs in determining the best way to test him.
“We talked about possibly getting the spit test for him because we thought maybe that that would be a little less invasive than the nose swab,” Fedorko said. “So, there were definitely some options out there, but to actually get your hands on those resources, I think that was the biggest problem that we faced was trying to figure out what we could do to help a child with special needs who needed to be COVID tested.”
Figuring out the best way to test a special needs child like Axel required a joint effort from his family, school and medical officials, and the Woodford County Health Department. Getting him tested quickly would help determine if his classroom would need to go into quarantine.
"We would have to, of course, follow the CDC guidelines and the recommendations from the health department,” Fedorko said. “But usually they err on the side of caution and we have to go ahead and quarantine a majority of the kids in my classroom, just because their risk for exposure is much higher and a lot of my students also have preexisting health conditions.”
Axel agrees.
"We're just so thankful for those providers out there who really take the time and effort with those students and people that need a little extra positive vibes with the testing,” Simpson said.