Student with COVID-19 attends first day of classes at New Palestine HS
NEW PALESTINE, Ind. (WISH) — A student who had tested positive for coronavirus attended classes on the first day of school at New Palestine High School, the district said Monday.
The family physician who provided the notification of the positive test result included the wrong “return to school” date on the note provided, according to a joint statement from Southern Hancock schools and Hancock Health hospital system.
The COVID-positive student had worn a mask, as required by the district. The student and a “small number of close contacts” were isolated, the statement said.
Families of those who had close contact with the student have been notified and removed from school for a period of 14 days, the statement said.
According to the district and Hancock Health, “if your family was not notified, your student was not in close contact with the positive student.”
Classes will continue as scheduled for all Southern Hancock schools, according to the statement.
Hancock Health will conduct a full review of its notification process and will implement “rapid turn-around testing” in the next week, the statement said.
Southern Hancock administrators were notified by the Hancock County Health Department of a positive test result among the New Palestine High School student body this morning.
The district and Hancock Health remind parents not to send their students to school if they have a confirmed COVID-19 case in the household, if the student has a pending virus test result or if the student is showing any symptoms of the virus.
The district has six schools, with roughly 3,801 students and 219 full-time educators.
Full statement:
A note from the family’s physician at Hancock Health providing notification of test results inadvertently included an incorrect return to school date. Hancock Health is conducting a full review of its test notification process to ensure compliance with reporting guidelines to ensure the safe return of students to all Hancock County schools. Hancock Health is unified with our schools in keeping students, staff, and families safe. Due to the long turn-around times of COVID-19 test results, Hancock Health will be implementing rapid turn-around testing within the next week to help ensure more timely results.
The student wore a mask as required by the Return to School recommendations and administrators isolated the student with the positive test result as well as a small number of close contacts. Families of close contacts have been notified of this positive test and removed from school for a period of 14 days. If your family was not notified, your student was not in close contact with the positive student.
Families should not send their students to school if they have a confirmed COVID-19 case in their home, if their student has pending test results of a COVID-19 test, or if their student is showing any symptoms of COVID-19.
School will proceed as scheduled at NPHS and all other CSCSHC buildings on Tuesday.
Community School Corporation of Southern Hancock County Administration and Hancock Health
Over the weekend, the district confirmed a New Palestine High School football player tested positive for coronavirus. The team had canceled its Friday practice as a precaution and said any close contacts of the player were quarantining.
A Warren Central High School football player tested positive for the virus, the district confirmed Sunday. That school district is set to start classes on Thursday.
Also on Saturday, Elwood schools confirmed that multiple staff members had tested positive for the virus. Because a few staff of Elwood Junior Senior High School were in close contact with one of the diagnosed employees, students at that school will have e-learning days for the week of Aug. 3-7.
On Thursday night, in neighboring Greenfield-Central schools, the district confirmed a student tested positive for coronavirus on the first day of school. Also on Thursday, the Avon school district in Hendricks County said it learned that an Avon High School staff member tested positive for COVID-19. A district spokesperson said that staff member had not been at the school during the week or been in close contact with any employees or students.