(2/8) COVID-19 cases at the Fairfield Area School District middle school have once again resulted in a temporary, three-day shut-down to allow school staff to cleanse the building involved, and 80 individuals have been quarantined as the result of possible exposures to infected persons.
District Superintendent Michael Adamec notified parents in a letter dated February 8, stating, "It is with a heavy heart that I’m writing this letter to all Fairfield families that the secondary (5th grade through 12th grade) will be moving to virtual-instruction, starting tomorrow."
The superintendent wrote that the number of COVID cases which have been reported within a 14-day period "is at a level that we need to close the school." The middle school closure was to have been closed from February 9 through February 11. In addition, he said, all other school athletic activities were also cancelled until February 12. If another individual could have tested positive for COVID during that timeframe, the closure would be extended.
"The elementary (school) … thankfully … will continue in-person instruction during this time-period," Adamek stated. The elementary school is held in a building separate from the secondary school building and was not impacted by the COVID count.
In the letter, the superintendent requested families to continue following the Center for Disease Control’s guidelines and closely monitor family members for any potential symptoms of COVID.
At the February school board work-session, Adamek stated that 80 students and/or staff were quarantined either because they had tested positive for COVID or have been potentially exposed to someone who was infected as of February 8.
Again, as of February 8, three individuals in the elementary school have tested positive for COVID, while two individuals in the secondary school have tested positive. As a result, 56 individuals have been quarantined because of potential exposures in the elementary school, while 23 have been quarantined at the secondary school. Those quarantined include one member of the school administration.
Relating to keeping track of the district’s COVID cases and associated quarantines, Adamek discussed that the school board administrative staff have now created a COVID "dashboard" which is publicly accessible to see where the current COVID numbers are … at any given moment. The FASD COVID-19 Dashboard is located at fairfieldpaschools.org/Page/2556.
Adamek said staff would try to update the page twice-a-week or more frequently … as circumstances should dictate. "If we get new cases, it will be updated daily," he stated.
As far as getting the students back into the schools for in-person instructions, he said there are several options the school board could consider if the number of confirmed COVID cases allowed, including having students attend classes five days a week, spending half of each day in-person, and the other half virtually from home.
The school board will be discussing all options at upcoming meetings.
