Horsham School To Remain Closed Amid Coronavirus Spread

HORSHAM, PA — An elementary school in Horsham will remain closed for a second day on Wednesday after a student there was possibly exposed to the new coronavirus.

Hatboro-Horsham School District Superintendent Curtis Griffin said Simmons Elementary, which was closed on Tuesday, will be closed again on Wednesday, March 11. Evening activities planned at the school Wednesday also are canceled, he said.

"We chose to continue this closure as we are waiting for additional information from Montgomery County Department of Health regarding our actions and next steps in this regard," Griffin said in a letter to the school community. "We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to reassess the risks associated with the COVID-19 coronavirus as it impacts our operations."

Simmons Elementary, at 411 Babylon Rd., was closed Tuesday for a deep cleaning. Griffin said Monday that the student may have been exposed to the virus, known as COVID-19, during a visit to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia facility in King of Prussia. A doctor at that facility has been diagnosed with the virus and was in critical condition on Tuesday.

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The student had not tested positive for the virus and was not showing symptoms, Griffin said.

The superintendent said teams began deep-cleaning the school Monday evening. The process involves a thorough cleaning and disinfection of the entire school, with special attention to high traffic and frequently touched areas, he said.

Griffin noted that Simmons is the only school in the system directly impacted by possible exposure and that there have been no known exposures to confirmed cases in any of the system's other buildings.

As part of the Hatboro-Horsham School District's preparation for the coronavirus, officials have created a Web page providing the latest district-related news on the virus.