Momauguin School To Remain Closed Until March 22 After Outbreak

EAST HAVEN, CT —Momauguin School will remain closed until at least March 22, schools Superintendent Erica Forti told families in a message late Friday afternoon obtained by Patch. The school was slated to reopen Monday after an outbreak shuttered it on March 3.

Patch reached out to Forti a number of times to confirm that a ventilation issue may have been to blame for the schools' outbreak but she did not return repeated emails for comment.

In the message Friday, she said a commercial HVAC service provider "ensure(s) that all air vents and circulation systems at Momauguin are functioning effectively at this time." She does not say that ventilation issues were the cause. But, she wrote that East Shore District Health Department director Michael Pascucilla said the school must remain closed "with a tentative transition March 22."

Pascucilla told Patch that there were "some complaints" about ventilation at the school including a "fan that wasn't working." He said that it has not been identified as a definitive cause.

"We're investigating," he said. "We're looking deeper into it and consulting with the (state department of public health.)"

He said he expects to have a conclusive report next week.

Forti said the district "will continue to monitor the situation" and work with the health department as it "conducts deeper levels of contact tracing and further investigate some of the recent positive COVID-19 cases" in East Haven schools.

There were 9 new Momauguin cases this week with all of the kids and teachers with COVID-19 having last been in the school the day it was closed.

As of Friday, there are 253 cases of COVID-19 in East Haven schools since its reopening this school year.

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