FRAMINGHAM – The Christa McAuliffe Charter School has a person in its “school community” test COVID-19 positive, announced Executive Director Frank Tipton in an email to families today, December 19.
“Our first responsibility is to keep our students and staff safe. We have been planning for this scenario during our reopening planning process and have a comprehensive plan in place to sanitize the school, inform families whose students were at risk of exposure or in close contact, and support the affected family as they navigate this stressful experience,” wrote the first-year executive director.
“Our student body and staff have been closely adhering to the safety protocols including mask wearing, hand washing, and physical distancing. We are grateful to our families for their continued efforts to keep students home at the first sign of symptoms. These measures, taken in combination, greatly reduce the risk of additional transmission.,” wrote Tipton.
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“While most scholars have been learning at home via our McAuliffe@Home program, a small number of scholars have been receiving support on campus. Though we cannot provide specific information about our school community member who tested positive, your child was not a close contact (defined as being within six feet of the person for at least 15 minutes) of the affected school member, either because your child was learning from home or because on-campus safety protocols eliminated that possibility. Please continue to monitor your child for symptoms, and keep your child home if he/she/they shows any symptoms or is not feeling well,” wrote Tipton.
“Staff and parents of students who were in close contact with the community member have been privately notified. All close contacts should be tested but must self-quarantine for 10-14 days after the last exposure to the person who tested positive, regardless of test result. We are also following all Department of Health protocols, including collaborating with our local board of health to complete contact tracing. Additionally, we are asking those parents whose students are tested for COVID-19 to please report the results to the school nurse. We are working hard to understand the impact of the virus on our school community and this information is a critical piece of that puzzle,” wrote Tipton.
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“To further prevent transmission of the virus to other staff and students, we will sanitize the school with a focus on those areas frequented by the community member who tested positive. We will continue to be vigilant in adhering to all of the protocols that have been put in place in an effort to continue in person learning for those scholars who are receiving on-campus support,” wrote the director.
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