COVID-19 Cases Impact, Close Some Schools in Conn. Today – NBC Connecticut
COVID-19 cases in Connecticut are starting to rise and some school districts that just sent students back to the classroom are having to make some changes.
Cases are popping up among students and staff members, which is forcing some schools to close their doors and switch to remote learning.
Bridgeport
Jettie S. Tisdale School in Bridgeport was closed yesterday after the superintendent said a staff member tested positive for coronavirus. Officials said the school will remain closed for the rest of the week.
East Hartford
East Hartford High School remains closed today after a student tested positive for COVID-19.
“I am writing to you today to inform you that a student in our school community has tested positive for COVID-19. As soon as the district was made aware of this confirmed diagnosis, East Hartford Public Schools (EHPS) notified the East Hartford Department of Public Health (EHDPH) to assess the risk of transmission within the school and the entire district,” Supt.Nathan Quesnel wrote in a message to the East Hartford High School community on Monday.
East Hartford High School will continue online learning today and students will follow the B-Day schedule. It is a scheduled half-day, according to the superintendent.
There will be no athletic practices or after school activities held today and the building will be closed to all students, staff and visitors.
The local Department of Public Health will be reaching out to all identified contacts of the individual who tested positive and the school will be cleaned and disinfected.
Hartford
Hartford Public Schools announced two cases of COVID-19 in the community yesterday morning.
A student at Weaver High School tested positive for COVID-19 and through contract tracing, four students were determined to have come in close contact with the student who tested positive, the district said. The four students in close contact will have to self-quarantine at home for 14 days. In-person classes are continuing at the school.
On September 11, Bellizzi Middle School’s principal announced a community partner who was in the building tested positive. The person was asymptomatic before testing positive and was advised to quarantine at home. Through contract tracing, the district notified two staff members and a student of close contact and asked them to self-quarantine at home for 14 days.
From Waterbury to Glastonbury to East Lyme and other communities big and small across the state, educators are sharing their personal thoughts on returning to school in NBC Connecticut’s Teacher’s Journal.
Somers
A student in a second grade classroom at Somers Elementary School has tested positive for COVID-19.
According to school officials, eight students in the particular cohort class must self-quarantine for 14 days. Seven staff members are also self-quarantining.
The families of those eight students in the cohort will be doing remote learning.
Wallingford
The Wallingford Health Department has initiated an investigation and said it will handle contact tracing to identify anyone who came in close contact with the person.
Waterbury
A specific classroom at Chase Elementary School in Waterbury is being quarantined after a student there tested positive for COVID-19.
All of the students in the affected class will transition to distance learning until Sept. 24, the school district said.
The rest of the school remains open for in-person learning.
Cases of COVID-19 are popping up among students and staff members across the state, which is forcing some schools to close their doors and switch to remote learning.
Westbrook
Westbrook High School will also be closed through Wednesday after a COVID-19 case there.
The district said that if a child was in the same class cohort or in close contact with the confirmed positive case then the district will contact the family and the child will need to self-quarantine for 14 days.
West Haven
West Haven High School is continuing to use a distance learning schedule for today after school officials said a student tested positive for COVID-19.
School officials said all athletic activities are canceled for today. Regular in-person classes resume tomorrow.
As students across Connecticut head back to school, some school districts are seeing cases of COVID-19, which is forcing them to close. Dr. Thomas Murray, associate medical director of infection prevention at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, discusses challenges schools face.
