WOODLAND PARK — The Woodland Park School District says 43 students and six staff members will be quarantined for the next two weeks as a precaution after a high school student tested positive for coronavirus.
Superintendent Steve Woolf says the student went to class Wednesday asymptomatic. He says one of the student's family members tested positive for the virus, but both the student and their parents told the district that the test came back negative. The next day, the Teller County Health Department contacted the district saying it was not negative. Woolf says they acted quickly when they found out.
"We contacted the parents of the 43 students and six staff members. We were able to let the rest of the school know," said Woolf. "We set up some pretty good protocols to contact trace just in case something like this happened."
Woolf says cohorting the high school is tough, so it's important they know where all of the students are during the day and limit passing times. He says with the safety precautions in place, it is unlikely any other students will contract the virus due to this incident. He says all of the surfaces are cleaned regularly and all of the students wear masks and social distance.
"Every classroom has an air purifier that's COVID-rated so that circulates the hair every half hour," said Woolf.
The district already planned to move to online learning through Labor Day so those in quarantine will only miss a couple of in-person learning days.
"We're looking forward to after Labor Day, bringing everybody back that wants to come back," said Woolf.
He urges parents to check their kids and be sure they are healthy before they go to school.
