Great Neck Student Tests Positive For COVID-19; Class Quarantines

GREAT NECK, NY — A Great Neck student has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and both teachers and classmates who shared a classroom with the student were transitioned to remote learning for two weeks, the district said.

In a letter to the community, Teresa Prendergast, the superintendent of Great Neck Public Schools, said the district learned early Friday that a student at John F. Kennedy School had tested positive for the disease. Due to privacy laws, further details about the elementary-schooler could not be released.

"In accordance with our District protocol at the elementary level, the teacher and students in class with the infected individual have transitioned to remote instruction for a period of 14 calendar days," Prendergast said.

Members of that class were contacted and were not in school Friday, she said. All other classes at the school were to continue with in-person learning.

"The infected student has had very limited interaction with other JFK students or staff," Prendergast stressed.

Buildings are cleaned and disinfected each evening and places the student had access — such as the classroom, hallways and bathrooms — were sanitized again early Friday before school started.

The Nassau County Department of Health launched a contact tracing investigation to determine who was in close contact with the student, meaning they were within 6 feet of the student for at least 10 minutes with no mask.

State health officials require that infected people and members of their household quarantine for two weeks. The infected student must receive a note from a healthcare professional before returning to school.

"It’s important to remember that the health and safety protocols in place in all our buildings—including wearing masks, washing hands, social distancing, and daily cleaning/sanitizing of facilities—were intentionally designed to mitigate the risk to students and staff in the event a positive case was identified," Prendergast said.

School districts across Long Island have seen positive tests in the opening days and weeks of the new school year, including Seaford, Syosset, Oyster Bay, New Hyde Park and, more recently, Plainview.