Martha's Vineyard Schools Report Positive Coronavirus Cases

MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MA—Two coronavirus cases have been confirmed at Tisbury School and one case at The Edgartown School as of Monday, marking the first confirmed coronavirus cases in Martha's Vineyard kindergarten through grade 12 public school district.

According to a statement from Martha's Vineyard schools superintendent Matt D'Andrea, the first case was confirmed on Friday after a Tisbury student tested positive. On Sunday and Monday, subsequent letters went out to parents confirming the other two cases. It is unknown if the individuals were students or staff members.

"For confidentiality purposes we cannot disclose the identity of the individual," Mr. D'Andrea wrote in a letter to parents on Sunday. "We are confident that in both cases transmission has occurred outside of school. All close contacts have been notified."

Only one other positive case has been reported within the school district, at the Project Headway Preschool located at the Grace Church in Vineyard Haven on Thursday. No other preschool cases have been confirmed on the island.

Edgartown School announced on Monday that grade 5 and 6 in-person classes will be delayed until November 17 and grade 7 and 8 in-person classes will be delayed until December 1. Tisbury School did not close on Friday and did not report any school closure plans as of Monday. However, coronavirus disinfecting guidelines and contract-tracing protocols were followed and D'Andrea is asking parents to be vigilant and take any symptoms seriously.

"Please continue to monitor your child for any symptoms of COVID-19 and complete the daily checklist prior to arriving at school in the morning," he wrote. "If your child is experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, please keep him/her home and contact your primary care physician. The district will continue to follow the school-based safety measures as outlined by the CDC and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health."

According to Martha's Vineyard Hospital website, there have been 96 positive tests on the island, and the latest Massachusetts DPH statistics released on Friday show an increase in COVID-19 cases in Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown over the last two weeks.