Watertown Schools Reopen As Planned After Positive Virus Case

WATERTOWN, MA — Before Watertown students could re-enter the classroom, one of the district's elementary schools reported a positive COVID-19 case.

The Watertown School District was set to reopen in-person learning for K-5 students on Tuesday. The positive case was reported on Monday morning in Hosmer Elementary School. Superintendent Deanne Galdston wrote in a letter to the community that the case would not affect the district's plan to reopen schools on Tuesday.

Galdston said that contact tracing had been done and that the Hosmer School was cleaned and disinfected.

"We planned for this scenario during our reopening process and have a comprehensive plan in place to sanitize the school, inform families whose children were at risk of exposure or in close contact, and support the affected individual as they navigate this experience," Galdston said in her letter.

Watertown schools decided to make the shift to hybrid/in-person learning after the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced an audit into the district to take a closer look at its timeline for reopening.

Education Commissioner Jeff Riley planned an audit for Watertown schools after the district remained in remote classes, despite the town's low COVID-19 transmission levels.