Family Sent COVID-Positive Student To First Day Of School: Mayor

ATTLEBORO, MA — Less than a week into the start of the school year, 30 Attleboro High School students are quarantining for 14 days after a student with the coronavirus attended the first day of class.

Attleboro Mayor Paul Heroux said the family knew their child had the virus but sent them to the first day of class anyway.

"There's no excuse for this," Heroux said, "They learned that Friday and sent them to school that Monday — it really doesn't make sense."

Heroux told Patch he's been in communication with Attleboro Superintendent David Sawyer and city and school health officials to figure out how to better convey the seriousness virus. He added incidents like this are out of the city's control.

"We couldn't pinpoint anywhere we went wrong," Heroux said, "The real problem here is that we had parents knowingly send their child to school after their child being COVID positive."

Heroux said after six months into a pandemic, he hoped more people would understand its severity.

In a letter to families, Sawyer said the student who tested positive attended the first day of in-person classes Monday, but the school didn't receive the positive results until Tuesday.

"This unacceptable outcome was caused by delays in the reporting timeline, not a breakdown in our safety protocols," Sawyer wrote. "I understand that this inevitable moment is stressful for many. However, it shouldn’t change anything."

The mandatory quarantines highlight the fear and stress many families and teachers had heading into the unique school year. Several communities across Massachusetts haven't made it to in-person classes and were forced to delay their start due to COVID-19 outbreaks caused by students skirting the rules.

All parents of children who were deemed close contacts of the student who tested positive were already notified, Sawyer said. Anyone who was not contacted is not considered a close contact and does not have to quarantine.

Sawyer said the school will use contact tracing and daily screenings to limit the potential spread of the virus but that the district won't know for sure until the quarantines for students are over.

"The guidance from the state cannot ensure a virus-free environment, especially considering we know that some carriers are asymptomatic," Sawyer said. "We will continue to monitor all of the data and act accordingly at both the school and district levels."

The city has the power to fine individuals who violate COVID-19 orders, but Heroux said the family was not notified about a quarantine order before, what would have been a violation, happened. Still, he maintains that a legal order should not be the reason someone who tests positive quarantines, but rather, keeping others safe.

Heroux said he's been on and off the phone with parents who have told him they can't believe another parent would be so reckless and endanger other students.

"I just can't get my head around it, none of us can," Heroux said. In the meantime, the mayor and city officials are asking for parents and residents cooperation in handling and preventing the virus spread.