Plainview School Closes Due To Positive Coronavirus Case

PLAINVIEW, NY — A Plainview school has closed after officials said a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

A staffer at Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School tested positive for the disease and contact tracing has begun, superintendent Mary O’Meara told the community in a letter Wednesday. Further details about the staffer weren't immediately released due to privacy laws.

The high school will close Thursday for staff and students to allow for contact tracing and disinfection. People deemed to be in close contact will be notified.

"Due to the late notification of this confirmed case, tomorrow, Thursday, September 24th, students will log into their Google Classrooms according to their schedules for asynchronous learning," O’Meara said. "Teachers will communicate the expectations for their classes in the Google Classroom."

The staffer who tested positive will not be allowed to return to school for at least 10 days, or after a negative test result has been provided to the district.

The positive test result didn't immediately appear on the state's COVID-19 Report Card for schools. It comes after the district learned Sept. 15 that a non-teaching staff member at Plainview-Old Bethpage Middle School tested positive for the disease. In that case, the staffer was not in the building and the school did not close.

School districts across Long Island have seen positive coronavirus tests in the opening days and weeks of the new school year, including Port Washington, Seaford, Syosset, Oyster Bay, New Hyde Park, Great Neck, and Hicksville.

See also:

• Full List Of LI Schools That Have Reported COVID-19 Cases