School Dance COVID Exposure Causes Hundreds Of NJ Students To Quarantine

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Roughly 200 high school students from Spotswood Public Schools were forced to quarantine due to a COVID-19 exposure linked to a homecoming dance. The dance was held last Saturday, Oct. 9.

The school district first learned that a student who attended the dance tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, and a total of three students tested positive as of Thursday, reported NJ.com. Around 375 students were in attendance.

Due to the school’s inability to contact trace the event, students were asked to quarantine for 10 days, with a return date set for Oct. 19. Vaccinated students or those who have been tested for COVID-19 within the past 90 days and don’t display symptoms can return on Oct. 19 after providing the district with documentation.

On Monday, Oct. 11 School Superintendent Graham Peabody told parents and guardians that a number of students “remained home from school, reporting that they did not feel well for various reasons.” Additionally, many parents informed the school that after the event, their child was identified as close contact to a COVID-19 case outside school grounds. “Many of these students were, however, in attendance at the Homecoming Dance Saturday night,” Peabody said.

At the time, the school district did not have confirmation of positive cases. In a letter to parents before the homecoming dance, the school district asked students to submit a COVID screen form prior to entry.

The quarantine in Spotswood comes as COVID-19 cases in schools continue to rise across the state.

On Thursday, the South Brunswick School District moved the entire sixth grade from Crossroads North to online learning amid a spike in COVID-19 cases among students. The students will be learning remotely through Oct. 20.

Read More Here: Entire 6th Grade In South Brunswick Goes Virtual Amid COVID Spike

Last week, 69 COVID-19 outbreaks were reported since the beginning of the school year.

On Wednesday, Oct. 13, New Jersey reported 27 new COVID-19 outbreaks this past week.

From Oct. 5 to 11 there were 27 new COVID-19 outbreaks at New Jersey schools impacting 125 students and 17 staff members, Gov. Phil Murphy said.

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