No School Thursday for Framingham Public; 77 Children & 18 Adults Potential Exposed to Coronavirus

The following is a press release submitted to SOURCE media

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FRAMINGHAM – This morning, March 11, the City of Framingham announced that it was made aware that a parent of a Potter Road Elementary School student tested presumptively positive for COVID-19.

The student, who we will call Child A, began a quarantine starting today, March 11.

Potter Road Elementary School was dismissed at 11:30 a.m. today for deep cleaning. 

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Child A attends classes with a number of students at Potter Road School and rides a school bus with a small group of students from Potter Road School and Hemenway Elementary School. 

The School Department informed all parents of those children who attend classes and ride the bus with Child A, as well as teachers, the bus driver and the school nurse that they were potentially exposed to the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

We have identified 77 students and 18 adults who were potentially exposed

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Based on guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MA DPH), those identified need to be quarantined for 14 days and may return to school or work on March 26th – as long as they are symptom-free. 

Those in quarantine and/or their parents or caretakers will monitor their symptoms and have been instructed to call healthcare providers if they develop symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 (for example: fever, cough, and shortness of breath).

The School Department has decided to cancel all Framingham Public Schools Thursday, March 12, to allow for each public school to be deep cleaned.

Framingham Public Schools will resume on Friday, March 13.

As always, the safety, health, and security of residents are the City’s top priority.  We continue to work closely with relevant State and City departments to respond to this evolving situation.

This is going out to parents

Shortly after school began this morning, Dr. Sam Wong, Director of Public Health for the City of Framingham, and I learned that a Framingham resident received a presumptive positive test result for COVID-19 and that this individual has a child who attends Potter Road Elementary School.

The child presented this morning with mild symptoms of an infection. In response to this information:

• The child and family are following the quarantine protocol from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) until cleared to return to school. As with any communicable disease, communities are required to follow direction from the MDPH.
• Related to this case, there is an identified group of students who may have potentially been exposed to the COVID-19 and those families are being contacted directly. Those students will need to be in quarantine for 14 days. We apologize for the incredible inconvenience this presents for those families.
• If you or a family member have been or you believe you have been directly exposed to Coronavirus (COVID-19) and/or you are experiencing symptoms including cough , fever, or shortness of breath, contact your Primary Care Provider.
• Consistent with how other local communities have responded to a presumptive positive test result, Potter Road was dismissed at 11:30am this morning to allow for a thorough cleaning and disinfection of every classroom and all other spaces throughout the building. 
• Out of an abundance of caution and in order to proactively clean and disinfect all Framingham Public Schools, I am closing all schools tomorrow Thursday, March 12th.  Consistent with our inclement weather protocol, all schools will be closed and all daytime and evening activities will be cancelled. Only custodial staff will be asked to report to the schools to clean.The Central Administration Office and all twelve-month district department staff will report to work. As of this date, the last day of school will now be Monday, June 22, 2020.

In the meantime, all information provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), MDPH, and the Framingham Health Department continue to emphasize that the risk of infection from COVID-19 remains low. However, it is important to observe the following important preventative measures:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If unable to wash with soap and water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
• Cover your coughs or sneezes with a tissue or your sleeve (not with your hands)
• Limit contact with people who are sick 
• If you or your child is experiencing flu-like symptoms or cough, fever, or shortness of breath, please  stay home from school until you have been symptom-free for at least 24-hours without the support of medication (such as cough suppressant)

As always, the safety, health, and security of our students is our top priority.  We continue to work closely with all relevant state and city departments to respond to this evolving situation. We have created a COVID-19 page on the FPS website which will be updated regularly with information and guidance as we receive it.

We will also be hosting a Facebook Live Broadcast to update the community with the latest information and to respond to any questions that the community may have.

Please tune into Framingham Public Schools Facebook tomorrow at NOON