Central High School Closing from Friday, Nov. 13 through Wednesday, Nov. 18

The Herald has received a letter with important information regarding the temporary closure of Central High School from Nov. 13-18, 2020.

The letter is signed by Dr. Betsy Baker and is reproduced here without editing.

November 12, 2020

Dear SCSD Parents and Guardians:

Our District has received notice of four additional individuals who have tested positive for COVID, totaling ten cases currently. Any students and staff members who were potentially exposed have been contacted by the school district and directed to quarantine. Exposure has been very limited due to the precautions we have in place, and we are not finding any evidence of the virus spreading through contact at school; however, we are currently seeing a higher concentration of positive cases among Central High School students/staff. Therefore, in an abundance of caution, we will be closing Central High School from Friday, November 13 through and including Wednesday, November 18, for an intensive cleaning.

During this closure, Central High School classes will be held remotely through Google Classroom and Google Meet in accordance with the schedule posted on the CHS Students' Google Classroom page. All GACTC classes will be fully remote, as well. Teachers will provide instructions for students today, and students will be directed to take their Chromebooks and other necessary items home with them. No one will be able to enter the building until Thursday, November 19, so that the school can be fully disinfected. Extracurricular activities for Central High School students are cancelled effective immediately and are currently expected to resume on November 19.

Free breakfasts and lunches for Central High School students will be available from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM each day at the dock behind Spring Cove Middle School. Students are not required to be present for the meal pick up, but their name will need to be provided. Meal orders should be placed in advance by completing the "Grab and Go Meal Order Form" available at http://www.springcovesd.org/FoodService/ and food should be consumed within one hour of pick-up or refrigerated at 41 degrees or below and consumed within five days or by the date on the packaging.

At this time, cases in our other schools are isolated, and those buildings will remain fully open for in person instruction. We continue to work with the Dept. of Health with all cases and to monitor all situations very carefully. Currently, we expect Central High School classes will be able to resume normally on November 19, but the closure may be extended if cases continue to increase. Please contact the building principal to immediately report any COVID positive test results even while the building is closed.

During the closure, students are strongly advised to remain at home to ensure that the virus is contained. Parents should contact their child's health care provider immediately if any symptoms of Coronavirus are noted.

As the level of community spread in our county increases, we wish to again stress the importance of precautionary measures, such as wearing face coverings and maintaining physical distance of at least six feet. Much evidence is suggesting that schools are currently the safest places to be during the virus, but we need everyone to work together to control the spread of the virus in our community if we want to keep our schools open. We appreciate your continued cooperation and support as we work together through these challenging times.

Sincerely,

[signed]

Betsy A. Baker, D.Ed. Superintendent