“One of the first
school districts in the country to reopen its doors during the
coronavirus pandemic did not even make it a day before being forced
to grapple with the issue facing every system actively trying to get
students into classrooms: What happens when someone comes to school
infected?
“Just hours into the
first day of classes on Thursday, a call from the county health
department notified Greenfield Central Junior High School in Indiana
that a student who had walked the halls and sat in various classrooms
had tested positive for the coronavirus.”
(Eliza Shapiro, Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio and
Shawn Hubler. “A School Reopens, and the Coronavirus Creeps In.”
The New York Times. August 1, 2020.)
This is very likely a
scenario that will play out here in Scioto County as schools reopen
during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the incredible plans to limit
the spread of the virus by the state department of education and all
the local school boards, the first outbreaks will test the integrity
of the decision to return to person-to-person operations. Here are
further details about the reality of a student testing positive in
Indiana.
In Greenfield, on the
first day of school, administrators began an emergency protocol,
isolating the student and ordering everyone who had come into close
contact with the person, including other students, to quarantine for
14 days regardless of whether they have symptoms. It is unclear
whether the student infected anyone else.
“We knew it was a when,
not if,” said Harold E. Olin, superintendent of the Greenfield
Central Community School Corporation, but were “very shocked it was
on Day 1.”
Families of students
considered a close contact – “someone who spent more than 15
minutes within six feet of an infected person regardless of face
covering” – were contacted Thursday night, the district said.
Superintendent Olin declined to say how many students were identified
as close contacts.
Greenfield's plan also
says students and staff should stay home if sick and notify the
school if they exhibit symptoms related to the novel coronavirus.
Symptoms include the
following: temperature greater than 99.5, new or worsening cough,
shortness of breath, sore throat, repeated shaking with chills, new
onset of loss of taste or smell, fatigue, runny nose or congestion,
headache, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea OR the student
has received COVID testing for any reason and you have not yet
received the results of the test.
The Greenfield-Central
Community School Corporation reported that only 15 percent of
families, just over 600 students, opted to stay home for remote
learning. Greenfield families could choose in-person or online
classes for their children. But the commitment was for a full
semester.
I can't imagine the
confusion and the chaos of a COVID-19 report on the first day of
school. As a teacher, I remember the first day of the year as a happy
but rather frantic time spent issuing information and collecting
essential class data for establishing a smooth transition back to the
basics. One report of the virus hitting the school surely must shake
the entire school system from the administration, to the staff, to
the students.
Then, of course, the
parents and guardians will rightfully worry about the impact of such
an infection. All of them would demand timely and accurate
information to insure the safety of their families. I realize many
would likely distrust mothers' and fathers' abilities to judge the
health of a sick student once even a single case has been discovered
on campus.
One student with the virus
would likely strain, and perhaps cripple, the best plans for
reopening – all the measures for assessing student health,
practicing physical distancing, sanitizing surfaces, exercising good
hygiene, and wearing masks. New pressure from the people would likely
complicate even the best community-school relationships. There is no
compromise when it comes to the health and safety of children.
Scioto County soon faces
the reality of reopening schools. Greenfield Superintendent Olin says
this first day was “just a bump in the road” of their reentry
process. Only time will tell how many such “bumps” could disrupt
the entire school year. Never before have public schools faced such
uncertainty.
Whether the location is Greenfield, Indiana, or Scioto
County, Ohio, entire American communities face monumental challenges
they have never faced before just to ensure the education of their
children. God bless those who are diligently working on the best
solutions.
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