Just a week after the school year began in the West Windsor-Plainsboro Public Schools, officials had to inform parents and staff members that the Community Middle School was switching from a hybrid learning model to all-remote learning through Friday, Sept. 18 because a teacher at the school tested positive for COVID-19. All other West Windsor-Plainsboro schools remain open.
In a letter that was sent out via email on Tuesday evening, West Windsor-Plainsboro Superintendent of Schools David Aderhold wrote that the staff member who tested positive for COVID-19 is an on-site teacher who only taught virtual classes and had no direct contact with students while in the school. “However, the teacher did have close contact with numerous staff members that will require further contact tracing and potential quarantine,” he wrote.
The school is closed through Friday to allow the district and the Middlesex County Health Department additional time to ensure contact tracing can be completed, and for the school to be cleaned and disinfected. All staff members who were in close contact with the COVID-19 positive staff member will be contacted by the Middlesex County Health Department.
“The District is closely monitoring the status of this situation. If additional actions or an extended closure is required, we will notify parents, guardians, and staff,” Aderhold wrote. “We understand that the emergence of a COVID-19 case in our school so early in the year is upsetting and unsettling. We also understand that families and staff members may want additional information surrounding this health matter. Please know that the district must protect the privacy rights of individuals and cannot provide additional details.”