First Day School Infection -- A Case In Point

“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.