Loyola Academy Cancels Classes For 2nd Day Over Coronavirus Fears

WILMETTE, IL — Leaders of Loyola Academy cancelled classes for a second consecutive day in response to news that a student had been exposed to a person with coronavirus.

"Continuing to exercise an abundance of caution, we will be closed on Tuesday, March 10, as we actively seek out additional information," school officials announced.

One of the student's parents contacted a school nurse and a counselor on Sunday to notify the staffer that their family had been in contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19, according to a joint statement from President Pat McGrath and Principal Charles Heintz.

The person who tested positive was never on the high school's Wilmette campus, school officials announced, and neither the student nor any member of the student's family have tested positive or shown symptoms of the virus, which include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.

The student was last on campus on Friday, according to school officials. The family is currently under a voluntary 14-day quarantine and cooperating with recommendations from public health authorities.

A contractor for the school spent about eight hours Monday disinfecting the entire school building. And citing advice from the Cook County Department of Public Health, school officials said "contacts of concern" on campus are not at risk of contracting COVID-19, so teachers or classmates of the student do not have to self-quarantine.

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Loyola was the second school in the Chicago area to close due to concerns of COVID-19 exposure. On Friday, Chicago city and school officials announced Vaughn Occupational High School on the city's Northwest Side would be closed until Monday after a special education assistant tested positive for the virus. Two of her family members later tested positive, becoming the state's eight and ninth cases to be announced.

According to the joint statement from Loyola leadership, the school will implement an e-learning scheduled Tuesday. All practices, games and competitions will be canceled, and no teams or clubs may meet without explicit permission from the principal of vice president of athletics.

Tuesday afternoon school officials announced classes will resume Wednesday. Both the Illinois and Cook County departments of public health affirmed it was sound practice to do so, according to a message from McGrath and Heintz.

They reminded parents not to send their children to school of their are sick, citing recommendations from public health officials that students and staff remain at home until free of fever for 48 hours.

But going forward, all visitors to campus must have an appointment or a planned meeting and college-age alumni visits will be temporarily suspended.

"Though we love seeing the smiling faces of our alumni, we feel it is wise to restrict access to the building at this time," parents were told.

Earlier: Loyola Academy Cancels Classes Over Possible Coronavirus Exposure