After a Mossyrock School District student tested positive for COVID-19 after the school’s first week of in-person schooling, which the district announced on Sunday, Sept. 20, the district has extended its distance-learning only model until Sept. 28.
The district was hoping to be able to return to in-person schooling on Tuesday after thoroughly cleaning the building the prior Monday. After working with Lewis County Public Health and Social Services the district announced that they will be holding distance learning only for a week.
“As you know, we were notified that one of our students has tested positive for COVID-19. Out of an abundance of caution, and because of the required 14-day quarantine for critical staff we need to remain in the virtual instruction mode for the rest of this week and Monday,” stated the district in a Facebook post.
J.P. Anderson, director of LPPHSS, said he has been working with Mossyrock School District to do contact tracing and create a list of all of the students and staff member that could have been on contact with the infected student.
Mossyrock School District Interim Superintendent Glenn Malone said during Monday’s School Board meeting that the extended online-only time period will allow the district to improve their virtual instruction approach that will be reverted to if and when other positive COVID-19 cases emerge.
The district submitted their list of students and staff that may have been in contact with the infected student to the Lewis County health department who will be reaching out to those on the list. Students on the contact tracing list will be required to stay home for a 14-day quarantine period.
“These measures, paired with our thorough cleaning, will ensure that school is safe to resume once the contact tracing process has been completed and our staff return from quarantine,” stated the district.
