School district reports 14 positive COVID tests since Tuesday

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

Ten individuals in the Charles City School District tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday this week, two more were reported on Wednesday, and two more on Thursday, according to information provided by the district.

Of those 14 positive cases, eight were students, five were staff members and one was a college student observer, the district said. A total of 60 individuals in the district have been quarantined this week, through Thursday.

As of Thursday this week, since the start of the school year 119 individuals in the school district had been quarantined, 80 of those from the high school. Twenty-nine positive tests have been reported in the school district, 23 of those from the high school.

The district received notification Thursday from Floyd County Public Health that one 11th-grade student at Charles City High School tested positive for COVID-19, while a college student who was observing in the district as part of course work also tested positive.

The college student complied with all social distancing guidelines, the district said, wore a face covering and observed from a safe distance of more than 6 feet at all times. Through contact tracing, the district determined the college student was never in close contact with a Charles City Community Schools student.

The college student was last on campus on Sept. 1. The district said it was currently reviewing its participation in educational programs like this during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Upon receiving these notifications the district temporarily closed off all areas of the building the individuals used, to clean and disinfect the spaces. The district is cooperating with the Floyd County Department of Health to take the steps necessary to protect the health of individuals in the district, officials said.

On Wednesday, the district was notified that two staff members from Charles City High School had tested positive.

On Tuesday, four high school students, two middle school students and one student involved in high school sports but not taking classes at the high school had all tested positive. Three of the high school students were in 9th grade and one was in 12th grade, while one middle school student was in 5th grade and one was in 7th grade.

Also on Tuesday, one high school staff member and two staff people not directly involved with a specific campus also tested positive.

Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 will be allowed to return to school once they are 24 hours with no fever and symptoms are improving, and 10 days since symptoms started. If no symptoms, 10 days from the day of the test. The campus attendance office will monitor the return date.

The district stated that if a student has been within six feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more, the district’s customer service team will call the student’s family with more details. The family should also expect a phone call from Floyd County Public Health.

The district has launched a COVID-19 dashboard with current and accurate information available to students, teachers, and families. The dashboard contains information on the number of individuals who are requested by Floyd County Public Health to quarantine and who have officially tested positive for COVID-19.