Spring Cove S.D. Middle School Closed Through Sunday

The Spring Cove School District has notified parents and guardians of students at the Spring Cove Middle School in Roaring Spring that the school will be closed through Sunday, Jan. 24.

In the letter dated Jan. 19, Superintendent Dr. Betsy A. Baker said the district was notified that morning of one additional individual at Spring Cove Middle School who recently tested positive for COVID-19 and also one who is considered probable, bringing the total number of cases within a rolling 14-day window to three. Under the new state requirements, Dr. Baker said Spring Cove Middle School is now required to close for cleaning and contact tracing.

“Therefore, Spring Cove Middle School will close at the end of the school day today, Jan. 19, through Sunday, Jan. 24, and classes will be remote beginning tomorrow. Spring Cove Middle School will reopen on Monday, Jan. 25,” the letter stated.

As occurred during the closure in December, Dr. Baker said remote learning assignments will be posted to the teachers’ Google Classroom pages, and Google Meet will be utilized for live, virtual class sessions in accordance with the schedule posted on the SCMS Google Classroom page.

“Beginning today through Sunday, all Spring Cove Middle School activities, including athletics, extracurricular activities and all other events are cancelled,” Dr. Basker said.

The superintendent said free breakfasts and lunches for SCMS students will be available from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. behind Central High School. She said 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/

After the closure, Dr. Baker said the building’s case count will reset to zero, and a new 14-day window will begin.

Dr. Baker said the status for each school, as of Jan. 19, is as follows:

• Spring Cove Elementary School – One case. The threshold for mandatory closure of the school is two cases within a rolling 14-day window.

• Martinsburg Elementary School – zero cases. The threshold for mandatory closure of the school is two cases within a rolling 14-day window.

• Spring Cove Middle School – three (will reset to zero after the closure). The threshold for mandatory closure of the school is two cases within a rolling 14-day window.

• Central High School – Zero cases. The threshold for mandatory closure of the school is four cases within a rolling 14-day window. The threshold is higher due to the school size being larger.

Dr. Baker said cases are not counted if the COVID positive or probable individual was not physically present in the school setting during the infectious period. Therefore, in order to keep our schools open, it is imperative that children be kept home if experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.