Como-Pickton CISD Superintendent Greg Bower Thursday afternoon, in a letter posted to the district website Aug. 27, reported three additional high school students have tested positive for COVID-19, including one student who was already in quarantine. That’s a total of 4 students who have tested positive for COVID-19 since Como-Pickton started school.
The district reported being notified Sunday night, Aug. 23, that one high school student has tested positive for COVID-19. The student had not been in attendance at school since August 18. Parents of students who were believe to have been in ‘close contact’ with the student within the last several days of his attendance were notified. Those students were sent home for self-quarantine, Bower reported on Monday.
On Thursday afternoon, Bower reported that exposure to the three students the district was notified about earlier in the day was believed to be limited. However, per TEA and school protocols, officials began contacting parents of students they believe may have been in close contact with the students over the last several days of attendance upon notification. Those students’ parents have been notified and the students sent home for self-quarantine
He reminded that “close contact” which would require quarantine would include either of the following if it occurred during the infectious period of the case (2 days prior to symptom onset to 10 days after symptom onset or for asymptomatic individuals who are lab-confirmed with COVID-19, 2 days prior to test confirmation and 10 days after test confirmation):
- Being directly exposed to infectious secretions such as being coughed or sneezed on; or
- Being within 6 feet for a cumulative duration of 15 minutes; however, additional factors including/case/contact masking (both the infectious individual and the potentially close contact have been consistently and properly masked), ventilation, presence of dividers and case symptomology may affect this determination
Parents are reminded to continue daily self-screening of children for potential COVID-19 symptoms, and do not send them to school if they display any symptoms.
Any parents who thinks their child may have been exposed to COVID-19 can register online at GoGetTested.com to be tested at Hopkins County Regional Civic Center during the free testing offered every day except Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The CPCISD custodial and maintenance staff are preforming extensive cleaning and sanitizing of all areas of campus to provide as safe a place for students as possible.
Dr. Bower made it clear that classes will continue to be held on campus as scheduled.
“If at any time we feel it necessary to close school as a result of the number of cases that we may have out during a specific period, we will let our community know as soon as possible and transition to our online platforms for a couple of weeks before trying to transition back. We are far from that point,” Bower posted in the letter to the “Como-Pickton CISD Family.”
While other schools in the area may have closed for specific periods already, CPCISD has been fortunate so far in being able to avoid that, the superintendent stated.
“As you are well aware, it is a difficult time and we ask for your continued prayers as we try to navigate through the uncertainties of all of this,” Bower wrote.
Parents of CPCISD students may direct their comments to the campus principal by calling 903-488-3671.
