Brookline High School Community Member Tests Positive For Virus

BROOKLINE, MA — School officials have repeatedly said they expect at some point a member of the community will test positive for the coronavirus. According to head of Brookline High School Anthony Meyer that day was this week.

As of Tuesday, 496 people tested positive for the coronavirus in Brookline since the beginning of the outbreak, one more that day than the previous day, according to town data.

In a letter home Tuesday, Meyer told families that a member of the "school community," had tested positive for the virus, though he did not specify whether the person was a student or staff member.

"We have planned for this scenario during our reopening planning process," he said. "We have a comprehensive plan in place and will continue to sanitize and disinfect the school and inform families whose students were at risk of exposure or in close contact, and will support the affected family through this stressful experience."

In the letter Meyer stressed that most children did not come within 6 feet of the person who tested positive for more than 15 minutes, but anyone who did would get notified privately.

He asked that, regardless, families members monitor their children for symptoms, keep them home if they aren't feeling well, as they signed in a school attendance agreement.

For those who did come in close contact, Meyer said the school would ask them to be tested and self-quarantine for 14 days after the last exposure to the person who tested positive, regardless of test result.

In addition to utilizing contact tracing and board of health protocols, the school is asking parents whose students are tested to report the results to the school nurse.

"As we strive to understand the impact of the virus on our school community, sharing this information is a critical piece of that puzzle," he said.

Students and staff have been wearing face coverings, hand washing regularly, and practicing physical distancing throughout the school day, Meyer stressed.

Only a few in-person classes, mostly English Language Learners and students who need extra support, are being held at the high school. The School Committee last week discussed the possibility to bring back students in grades 1-3 on Oct 20 and to allow Remote Learning Academy students to switch into hybrid in early November. The committee has not finalized plans, yet.

Patch has reached out to Interim Superintendent Jim Marini.

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