FRAMINGHAM – Walsh Middle School is reporting a positive case of COVID-19 today, February 4, the first day that phase 1 and 2 students returned to class.
The students had not been in the building since early December. Teachers reported back to their classrooms on Monday. February 1.
It is unknown if it was a student, a teacher, or a staff member who has tested positive.
“We became aware that a person at Walsh school tested positive for COVID-19. As per district guidelines, comprehensive contact tracing was completed. The people who were identified as close contacts of the person with COVID-19 have been notified and are at home in quarantine. A close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of the person for at least 15 cumulative minutes within 24 hours. If you have not received a phone call from the district, then your child has not been identified as a close contact,” wrote Walsh Principal Patrick Johnson to parents this afternoon.
This is the second case reported in the district in February 2021.
This is the sixth case reported in 2021.
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This is the 42nd case in the district this 2020-21 school year.
This is the second case tied to Dunning this school year.
Framingham High School has reported the most cases in the school year at 9, followed by Fuller Middle School.
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Principal Johnson in an email to families wrote “I would like to remind you about the steps you can take to protect your family and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community:
- Wear a mask/face covering at all times when outside of your home
- Maintain physical distance of 6 ft when interacting with others in the community
- Practice frequent hand washing/hand sanitizing
- Monitor yourself and your family for the following COVID-19 symptoms daily:
- Fever, chills or shaking chills
- Temperature of 100.0 F (37.7 C) or higher
- Loss of taste or smell
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Fatigue/unusual tiredness
- Body aches
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
- Runny nose or congestion
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- If you or your family member(s) experience symptoms or are not feeling well, stay home, contact your healthcare provider, and get a COVID-19 PCR test
“FPS schools are cleaned daily in accordance with our COVID-19 protocol and CDC guidelines. When an individual tests positive for COVID-19, deep cleaning protocols are implemented. We will continue to be vigilant in adhering to all of the protocols that have been put in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” wrote the principal.
Although students have not been in the school since early December 2020, some teachers and staff have been physically at the schools.
Students in Phase 1 & 2 returned to their classrooms today. These are the district’s highest needs students.
Most K-12 students have not been in their classroom since mid-March 2020, when the pandemic began.
In October, phase 1, or the district’s highest needs students return to the classrooms. In November, phase II, of the district’s high need students returned to the classrooms. The majority of the students about 8,500 of the district’s 9,000+ students were still learning remotely at that time.
After Thanksgiving, and a second surge of the coronavirus, the City of Framingham and the school district decided to make the entire district remote as of December 7.
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Students in phase 1 and phase 2 were scheduled to return back to the classrooms February 3, but due to the snowstorm, that was moved to Feb. 4.
Students in phases 3 & 4, are not scheduled to return to the classroom until February 22, which at that time Fall II athletics could begin. Although this date could change.
Editor’s Note: Graphic by Walsh Middle School student Sasha Lamakina. SOURCE has been publish student graphics and art since 2020. Click here to learn more.
MetroWest Medical Center