A student at Stonehouse Elementary School has tested positive for COVID-19.
“A student’s family found out this morning that the child had tested positive,” said Eileen Cox, spokeswoman for the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools. “The child was at the school less than half a hour today (Monday) and immediately went home”
Cox said the family reported the positive diagnosis to the school on Monday and the entire class is going to switch to remote learning for two weeks.
It’s the first student coronavirus case in WJCC Schools.
School administrators called the class parents and the school’s principal emailed the rest of the school community, Cox added.
Per the school division’s Path 3 Return to Learn: Forward WJCC Schools plan, the students now have blended learning schedules, a mix of both remote and in-person learning. The students were split into two groups with alternating schedules for the in-person learning days: the Blue group, which meets on Mondays and Tuesdays and the Green group, which meets on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Cox said one class is split into the Blue and Green groups so both classes will be remote for two weeks including the teacher.
While Cox was not sure how many students were in the class, she said typically elementary school classes range from 25-30 students — “a rough estimate would be about 25.”
The district is doing a “deep cleaning” of the school. Cox said staff routinely clean desks and workspaces. Buses are also cleaned after “multiple runs and at the end of the day.”
Cox noted “the student did not ride the bus to school today” and the school is not shutting down at this time.
“There might be a of number of reasons that a person might have tested [positive] for COVID,” Cox said, adding some people planning to travel might get tested or before having a medical procedure. “So I don’t want there to be the assumption that this child was sick or had reason for the parents to believe their child had COVID and sent their child to school.”
“There are many reasons that someone might be tested other than showing symptoms of COVID and we believe that is the case.”
Cox said the division believes the “exposure is limited” so they won’t return the entire school to remote learning.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK OUT THESE STORIES:
- COVID-19 scare: Warhill High School shuts down for two weeks
- COVID-19 curriculums: Are local school divisions zoomed out from remote learning?
- Going back to school — in person. Here’s what local public schools are doing
- Dancing through COVID-19: This nonprofit in the Historic Triangle continues to teach dance classes in-person
- Play ball: A new softball field is coming to Kiwanis Park
- The first Williamsburg Christmas Market starts soon. Here’s the skinny
- A quick peek at the 2021 free York County calendar
- ICYMI: COVID-19 and veterans, GOP and Dems narrowing the gap locally, a hostage situation and more
