Cases mount; communication remains within limited circle.
Impact on 8th grade, AHS, SPED
UPDATED, Dec. 15: As Covid-19 cases surge in town, with 160 since Dec. 1, including nine at St. Agnes School, at least 15 new cases have been reported among the Arlington Public Schools from Dec. 4 through 11.
Notice of these cases came from top school official, but were not shared with the general public. Residents citing official emails brought them to YourArlington’s attention.
In an email to Arlington Public School families Monday, Dec. 14, Superintendent Kathleen Bodie provided an update about Covid-19 cases from Dec. 4 through 11 showing 15 cases testing positive — six staff members and nine students.
She wrote: Of the 6 staff members who tested positive, 3 were not in a building during the contagious period and 3 were in buildings.
“Of the 9 students who tested positive, 6 students were not in a building during the contagious period; 3 students were in-person in buildings during the contagious period.
“As a result, the impact is that an 8th grade learning community, one AHS classroom and the special education central office will remain at home for the duration of their quarantine period.
“We look forward to welcoming those affected back to school after their quarantine period. Any positive case in is a reminder that each of us do what is recommended to stay safe and healthy. Thank you for your partnership in supporting our efforts in this regard.”
Dec. 7 report
In an email to Arlington Public School families Monday, Dec. 7, Bodie provided an update about Covid-19 cases from Friday through that day showing 10 cases of those testing positive — three staff members and seven students, three of whom are enrolled in the remote academy.
“The impact has affected Dallin, OMS and AHS,” she wrote, adding no further details. “There continues to be no evidence of virus transmission in our schools.”
The 10 cases reflect three more than YourArlington reported early on Dec. 7. A resident provided the superintendent’s email.
Two initial emails from principals included information requiring clarification. Bodie has not responded to two emails seeking guidance, but did issue an email Dec. 7 reporting some information already noted here.
A summary
Here is a summary of officials’ email provided by residents and reported early Dec. 7:
- AHS Principal Matthew Janger of AHS wrote Dec. 4 about the community member who tested positive for Covid-19. “We have quickly identified close contacts and notified those staff and students that they will remain at home for the duration of their quarantine period. If you did not receive a communication from our nursing staff your student is not a close contact at school in this case.
“Our building is cleaned thoroughly every day, and tonight we will have a team apply extra electrostatic disinfectant treatment to affected spaces.
“While we anticipate that this may happen, it is still unsettling. This is a reminder that we continue to engage in consistent expectations of mask wearing, hand washing and social distancing. Please remember to take appropriate precautions and notify our nursing office of any contacts or symptoms of Covid-19.
“As we navigate this pandemic together, we must continue to support one another, as we always do, and know that as situations like this arise, we will respond accordingly and keep the safety of our students at the heart of all that we do.
“We know that the process of quarantining is both stressful and disruptive to those families affected and we look forward to welcoming them back after the quarantine period.”
- On Dec. 6, Dr. Janger reported to AHS parents that “we were alerted over the weekend” about an AHS community membert testing positive. “This is in addition to the case I wrote to you about on Friday. In addition, as a result of close contacts, not all in school, we currently have 9 staff quarantined who support our in-person instruction.”
- Dallin Principal Thad Dingman wrote Dec. 4 reported to Dallin about a member of the Dallin after-school program who has tested positive for the illness. “Through quick actions and our close collaboration with the Afterschool directors and the Arlington Department of Health, we have identified close contacts and notified those students that they will be required to quarantine,” he wrote. “If you did not receive a communication from me, your student is not a close contact at school or involved in this case.
” … I’m very grateful for the TASC [after-school] team and their commitment to the safety of our shared students ….
“In addition to the routine and thorough daily cleaning, we will have a team apply an electrostatic disinfectant treatment to our building this weekend.”
- Gibbs Principal Fabienne Pierre-Maxwell reported two cases in separate emails, Dec. 4 and 2. The latest case, she wrote, is “another student from [Learning Community 2 who] tested positive for Covid-19. Although the student is in the same LC as the first [reported Dec. 2], their cases are the source of two separate incidents.
“In every case we work closely with the Arlington Department of Health through their contact tracing efforts in our schools and communicate quickly with our staff and families if they are identified as a close contact. This process began immediately and all of the close contacts in our school community have had conversations with either me, our nurse Cara Dalton or our District Covid Response Coordinator Cindy Sheridan-Curran.”
She wrote that a close contact is defined as anyone who was within six feet of a Covid-positive case for at least 15 minutes over a 24-hour period starting from two days before illness onset or, for asymptomatic cases, two days before test-specimen collection until the time the patient is isolated. Anyone identified as a close contact is given instructions on quarantine, including dates and information on free testing at Stop the Spread sites.
“What coincided is the day that both students respectively made close contacts with their classmates and teachers at Gibbs School,” she wrote. “Therefore, the two situations have the same returning date (12/17/20) for everyone from LC2.”
” … [M]any of our staff members have been impacted by this particular case, as a result, LC2 pivoted to remote learning until Thursday, December 17. If your child is in LC1, LC3, and LC4 this does not impact his/her regular in-person schedule.”
- Superintendent Bodie reported Dec. 4: “Earlier this week, we received the results from Monday’s Covid-19 staff testing program. There were two positive cases, but no close contacts. One person is a district support person and the other a staff member at Peirce.”
She also reported one of the Gibbs cases noted above and another previously unreported case, at Ottoson Middle School.
“The test result for this student was reported to the school during the first period, so the impact is that only one classroom will need to be remote .per guidelines for a close contact,” she wrote, adding:
“I am also writing to remind you not to send your child to school if they are exhibiting flu-like symptoms or just not feeling well. If your family is being tested for Covid-19 because of exposure to someone with the virus, please wait to send your child to school until the results are received.
“We share the goal of keeping children and staff in our schools safe and able to continue to be in school. We want to avoid having to remove from school an entire classroom, grade or learning community.”
Dec. 2, 2020: Covid-19 cluster at St. Agnes School; other cases at public schools
This news summary was published Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020, and updated Dec. 15s.
