The following letter from Superintendent David Blanchard emailed to parents and guardians on Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 8, 2020:
Dear parents/guardians,
The district learned on the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 8 that a family member of two individuals in the Schoharie Jr./Sr. High School tested positive for COVID-19.
Because these two individuals live in the same household as the family member who tested positive, they are at this time presumed to be positive and are quarantined pending test results. We will be working closely with the Schoharie County Department of Health to help them trace the contacts these two individuals had in our school building and on district property, if necessary. The DOH, in accordance with CDC guidelines, defines close contact as being within 6 feet of someone for longer than 15 minutes.
Please note that The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other privacy laws restrict us from disclosing or confirming any personally identifiable information. We cannot identify anyone who has tested positive or who is presumed to be positive.
Since the start of the school year, the district has been thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting all portions of our school building that are in use by students and staff, in accordance with guidance from the New York State Department of Health and the CDC. For details about our cleaning procedures, COVID prevention policies, contact tracing, testing and more, please see our Reopening Plan. In addition, a COVID screening is done for all students and staff members prior to the start of the school day.
At this time, our district remains open for in-person instruction under the guidance of the Schoharie County Department of Health, and it is expected at this time that in-person instruction will continue as scheduled. Please contact your child’s principal if you would like more information about our health and safety procedures. We will release more information about this situation as it becomes available.
Any additional questions, including information about contact tracing and testing procedures, can be directed to the Schoharie County Health Department at (518) 295-8365.
Sincerely,
David Blanchard
Superintendent of Schools