Melrose Reporting Error Doubled Number Of Student Virus Cases

MELROSE, MA — A reporting error led to an erroneous count of confirmed coronavirus cases among Melrose Public Schools students in data released Thursday by the state.

Only one in-person student tested positive for the virus, not two as initially reported, Superintendent Julie Kukenberger told Patch. There was duplication in the reporting that led to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education stating there were two cases among in-person students between Oct. 8-14.

Kukenberger said the error will be fixed moving forward.

"It's no one's fault," she said. "Everybody's learning."

No cases among staff were reported.

The case is the district's first reported since the state started releasing weekly data beginning with Sept. 24. Partial in-person classes resumed in Melrose Sept. 16, and the majority of in-person students are scheduled to return Monday.

The positive test won't change that. Kukenberger has said while certain metrics could cause the district to re-examine its learning model, it was always expected there would be cases.

"We are as a community we are looking at all types of data points," Kukenberger said. "Every student and staff."

Kukenberger said she hopes positive tests will be met with compassion from the community.

"Nobody ever wants to be sick," she said.

No information about positive cases is expected to be made public, but close contacts would be made aware.

"When there's a COVID positive case people will feel like they should have more information than what I know or what I can share," Kukenberger told Patch earlier this month. "It's on a need-to-know basis. The cold comfort we can give people is if you need to know you'll get a call from the Health Department."

Read more about what Kukenberger said about potential coronavirus cases.

The only students in class now are full-time high-needs students and kindergartners and first-graders in the hybrid model.

There were 92 student cases and 68 staff cases reported across the state between Oct. 8-14.

Melrose remains in the yellow risk category in the state coronavirus map. The city has a 0.61 positive test rate; Kukenberger said one of the metrics that would trigger reconsideration of the learning model is a positive test rate of at least 2 percent.

Below is what each Melrose classroom will be equipped with, according to a recent presentation from Kukenberger.

Related: Melrose Students Could See Some Even Earlier Dismissals

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi and subscribe to Melrose Patch for free daily newsletters and local real-time news alerts.