One COVID-19 positive reported at city school

UPDATE, FRIDAY:

Norton City Schools sent a letter Thursday to parents and guardians advising that the division had been notified “that a student or staff member in our school has been diagnosed” with COVID-19. “The local health department has been notified and we are following protocols for assessing risks.”

The letter, which does not identify the affected school, appears on the school system’s website, https://www.nortoncityschools.org/, under the COVID-19 updates section.

“Parents should continue to monitor their own health and the health of their families for COVID-19 symptoms,” it states. “Children with COVID-19 generally have mild, cold-like symptoms, such as fever, runny nose, and cough. Vomiting and diarrhea have also been reported in some children.”

ORIGINAL STORY:

Norton School Board got a positive report on the beginning of the 2020-21 school year during its Aug. 10 meeting.

Classes began Aug. 5 both in-person and through Virtual Academy, the school system’s remote learning option.

According to Superintendent Gina Wohlford, of the 790 students in the system, 280 have utilized the Virtual Academy.

According to a health memo provide by Norton Elementary and Middle School nurse Jennifer Hughes, the first week of classes, which was only two days, was “free of any health related services outside of our school building.”

The memo stated that there were no instances of flu, flu-like symptoms, strep, pneumonia, GI virus, conjunctivitis, head lice or mono.

Under their COVID-19 precautions, one student was sent home for having a temperature reading over 100 degrees; however, that student did not enter a school building. No students or faculty who entered the buildings were sent home for high temperature.

“In my opinion, our first week went as well as it could have,” wrote school board Chair Cody McElroy in an email. “I want to commend our administration, faculty, and staff for developing and implementing a plan to provide both on-site and virtual education to our students.”

McElroy stated that schools staff have been working since March 13 to prepare for the students’ return.

Wohlford seconded McElroy’s statement.

“We have seen months of planning go into action as we have started our school year,” she wrote. “There has been such a willingness from our principals, faculty and staff to make our ‘back to school’ start a success.”

Wohlford explained that COVID-19 weekly information for the schools will be updated every Friday on the schools website.

“Each day we assess what we need to do differently, what is working, and what we need to improve,” wrote Wohlford.

As of Aug. 14, there were no confirmed cases of COVID-19 and no faculty or staff with a temperature reading of 100 or greater at either school building.