Concord High School Staffer Catches New Coronavirus

CONCORD, NH — An employee at Concord High School has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Kathleen Murphy, the Concord School District's interim superintendent.

Murphy said Monday she was informed of the case Sunday afternoon. The employee has not been at the school since Sept. 22.

"All protocols were in place, including wearing of masks and 6 foot distancing," she said. "Students and staff will be notified by the NH Division of Public Health Services as soon as the contact tracing process has been completed."

No information is being released about the employee beyond the contact tracing process due to "strict confidentiality rules regarding specific student and personnel information," she said. Although, SAU 8 is working with and following the guidelines set by the state. All students and staffers identified as having close contact with the employee, being within 6 feet for longer than 10 minutes, will be asked to self-quarantine at home.

"Those students and staff will be directed to get tested and keep themselves quarantined until 14 days following their last possible exposure," she added.

Anyone experiencing flu like symptoms — fever, chills, respiratory illness, aches, or changes in taste or smell, are being asked to stay home. Murphy said all students and employees who are being asked to quarantine must complete the full quarantine even if their tests come back negative.

"This is because the maximum amount of time from being exposed to the virus that causes Covid-19 and testing positive is 14 days," Murphy said. "Therefore, even if your child tests negative today, they would need to quarantine until they reach the 14th day following exposure. The safety of our children and employees is our top priority."

This is the second case of the new coronavirus connected to the Concord School District.

Nearly three weeks ago, a member of the high school marching band tested positive for COVID-19 and was quarantined. Other than band practice, the student was not physically in the high school.

State health officials are only counting students and employees infected in the school setting on its data dashboard — not teachers and students infected outside of school. Sometimes, the tracking of school cases takes time. Lori Shibinette, the commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, explained why the process can often take days during a recent news conference. As of Sunday, New Hampshire had 22 active cases of COVID-19 connected to school settings.

For the past six weeks, the Concord School District has been making plans to move to more expanded hybrid learning after deciding in August to teach via fully remote. The district altered that plan to partial hybrid learning — remote for most students with hybrid learning for career technical students, special education and students with individualized education program plans, and English language learners.

The shift will begin Oct. 5 with freshman being allowed back to Concord High School twice a week, either Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday, with other students transitioning Oct. 12. In other schools, like elementary, kindergarteners to first graders will go first. At Rundlett Middle School, sixth graders will start, in a similar process. The first transition week will assist in getting new students acclimated the first week, Murphy said.

The hybrid is limited to two days in class due to lack of space.

"We just don't have large enough classrooms for social distancing and other safety protocols," Murphy said.

Wednesday will be a flex day for meetings, more extensive cleaning and disinfecting, and other tasks. After that, the district will be working on clubs and social services as well as other activities. The district is also limiting access to buildings.

So far, the process of reopening for the school year has been relatively seamless but there have been some hiccups and concerns including Zoombombing during remote classes, inappropriate pictures being shared online, and a student playing with a toy gun while attending a class.

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Stop The Spread Of COVID-19

The COVID-19 virus is spread through respiratory droplets, usually through coughing and sneezing, and exposure to others who are sick or might be showing symptoms.

Health officials emphasize residents should follow these recommendations:

• Avoid any domestic and international travel, especially on public transportation such as buses, trains, and airplanes.
• Practice social distancing. Stay at least 6 feet from other people, including distancing while in waiting areas or lines.
• When you can't practice 6 feet of social distancing, wear a face covering.
• Anyone who is told to self-quarantine and stay at home due to exposure to a person with confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 needs to stay home and not go out into public places.
• If you are 60 years or older or have chronic and underlying health conditions, you need to stay home and not go out.
• Avoid gatherings of 10 people or more.
• Employers should work from home as much as possible.
• There is increasing evidence that the virus can survive for hours or possibly days on surfaces. People should clean frequently touched surfaces, including door handles, grocery carts and grocery basket handles, etc.

Take the same precautions as you would if you were sick:

• Stay home and avoid public places.
• Wear a face covering.
• Cover mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing.
• Wash hands frequently.
• Disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

More information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services about coronavirus can be found here on the department's website.

• Guidance to schools can be found can be found here.
• Instructions for returning travelers to self-observe for symptoms of COVID-19 are available are available here.
• For more information on COVID-19 in NH, visit its site here.
• For the latest information from the CDC, visit its site here.
• To access the state's COVID-19 data dashboard, click on this link here.
• To access the state's COVID-19 Interactive Map Dashboard, click on this link here.

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