Princeton Parent And Child Self-Quarantine, Schools Close Early

PRINCETON, NJ — After news that a Community Park School parent and their child have self-quarantined in response to the new coronavirus, Princeton Public Schools is closing early on Thursday and Friday. The district will use the early dismissal time to accelerate their preparation to provide remote learning for students.

"A parent was in fact asked to self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution because of possible proximity to a co-worker who might have been in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19. The CP parent is without symptoms," Princeton Schools Superintendent Steve Cochrane said in a letter to parents.

The child of the parent does not need to be quarantined, however, the parent is keeping the child at home until the colleague's test results come back, Cochrane said.

Following this letter, Cochrane announced on Thursday night that all schools in the district would close early on Thursday and Friday.

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"We will use this time to continue our preparation for remote instruction as well as to organize meals for our nearly 500 students who participate in the federal lunch program," Cochrane said.

Princeton High School will dismiss at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and elementary and middle schools will dismiss at 1 p.m.

Elementary school conferences scheduled for Thursday afternoon have also been postponded.

Additionally, the district is temporarily postponing events that would bring larger numbers of parents, community members, or visitors into our schools.

"At this time, we are carefully monitoring the situation to determine our plans for school next week. We are in ongoing communication with municipal health officials who anticipate they will soon receive results for local residents who have recently been tested for COVID-19. The decision to implement remote learning for our students is one that considers multiple factors and will be made after careful consultation with our local board of health, the local department of health and the New Jersey Department of Health — all of whom are following the best and latest guidance from the CDC," Cochrane said.

As of Thursday, Princeton University has moved all classes online and is asking all students to leave campus by March 19. (See Related: Coronavirus: Princeton University Moves All Classes Online)

Stuart Country Day School in Princeton also has cancelled all classes as of Wednesday and events through March 30. (See Related: Princeton Schools To Close Early To Prepare For Coronavirus)

Additionally three more people have tested positive from the private party in Princeton. There were 47 people found to be at the party of which 14 were Princeton residents. (See Related: Princeton Party Update: 3 More Test Positive For Coronavirus)

Developments in the new coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak continue to unfold rapidly in New Jersey now that the number of cases has risen to 23, and one person has died.

• See Related: Coronavirus May Be 'Community-Spread' In NJ
• Related: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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