HOBOKEN, Ga. — A local elementary school it closing its doors for one week due to staff members having to quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 or being exposed to the virus.
Hoboken Elementary School in Brantley County announced it will transition to distance learning from Friday, Aug. 14, to Friday, Aug. 21. No students have reported testing positive for the novel coronavirus, the school said in a release, but the school has "had adults who had to quarantine due to positive test results or exposure."
The school district's reopening plan for the 2020 through 2021 school year included multiple scenarios to keep children and staff healthy and safe, the release says. One of those scenarios called for brief school closures if the system had isolated clusters of the virus in certain classrooms or schools.
After a person within the school tests positive, the plan calls for school officials to work with the Georgia Department of Public Health to follow contact-tracing guidelines, and the diagnosed person along with any close contacts who were exposed are asked to stay home and follow quarantine guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Georgia DPH.
The school's release says if it is discovered through contact tracing that any children were considered a possible close contact to a positive COVID-19 case, parents will receive a call from a Hoboken Elementary School employee the same day a school employee becomes aware of the possible exposure.
"While we understand the spread of COVID-19 will happen in both the community and schools, our school system will be diligent in our efforts to be extra cautious and make sure we do everything possible to decrease the spread," the school's release says. "For this reason, Hoboken Elementary School will follow safety plans, closing the school briefly and move students to distance learning during that time."
The school says during the closure, mitigation measures to slow or decrease the spread of the virus will be put in place. Parents can expect their children's teachers to be in touch as distance learning begins this week. Students will be asked to complete classwork via the Google Classroom platform during the distance-learning period, and additional printed assignments may be sent to students as well.
The school says staff looks forward to seeing students back at school Monday, Aug. 24, when the school bell schedule will resume as normal with normal bus times.
