School Staff Members Test Positive For Coronavirus In Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — District officials confirmed Thursday some Greenwich Public Schools staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus and must quarantine for 14 days before being permitted to return to school.

In an email to Patch, district spokesperson Sasha Houlihan emphasized the staff members tested positive for the virus, also referred to as COVID-19, before returning to school, so they did not enter school buildings beforehand. (To sign up for Greenwich breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

"[The staff members] alerted our school administration of their status," Houlihan said, "and the principal emailed their staff, with the teacher's permission, to ask that their staff keep them in their thoughts as they recover from the mild symptoms they were experiencing."

Houlihan's email did not confirm the number of staff members who tested positive, however the Greenwich Time reports three staff members are quarantining after testing positive for the virus, as is a fourth who was exposed to the virus.

Based on the district's protocol, the staff members must quarantine for 14 days before they are allowed to return to school. Houlihan did not specify which school each staff member works at.

"Should an exposure or positive case situation happen while we are in school," Houlihan said, "our central office administration and school administration are partnering with the Town of Greenwich's department of health, as they are responsible for managing positive cases and performing contact tracing."

Depending on the level of exposure, Houlihan said, the department will guide the district on what type of closure or quarantine is necessary for staff or students, and district officials will communicate with the necessary parties.

As an example, Houlihan said an exposure could require the quarantine or closure of a single class, while a possibly more serious incident could require an entire building be shut down, depending on what the town health department indicates.

Under the district's current policy, any teacher who needs to quarantine during the school year may be able to reverse remote teach into their own classroom from home if they feel well enough to teach, otherwise they would be out sick and a substitute would be used in their place, Houlihan said.

If a student needs to quarantine during the school year, they would be able to continue their learning remotely as well, unless they are feeling unwell and would prefer to be out sick that day, Houlihan said.

During an emergency Board of Education meeting Monday night, which was called to address possible staff issues, Superintendent Toni Jones said having a sufficient number of substitute teachers available is critical this year, as some teachers are unable to take part in classroom teaching due to health concerns.

Others, she noted, may need to suddenly quarantine for 14 days if they, or someone they have been in contact with, tests positive for the virus.

See also: No Need To Delay First Day Of Elementary School In Greenwich

According to Jones, over 80 people had applied for long-term substitute teacher positions as of Monday following a notice of possible staffing concerns sent out Friday. Additionally, 112 "high-quality candidates" had applied for classroom monitor positions as of Monday, Jones said.

"The applications are coming in," Jones said during the meeting, "and it's really going to make a difference for us in feeling more secure."

The first day of school for all students will still take place Sept. 9, with orientation scheduled for Sept. 8, according to the district calendar. Teachers were scheduled to return to classrooms in person Monday.