A Greenfield-Central Junior High School student has tested positive for the coronavirus after the first day of class, according to an email sent to families Thursday evening.
The student attended part of the first day of classes, which began for Greenfield-Central Community Schools Thursday. It was the first time students had been back in the school buildings since the coronavirus closed schools statewide in March.
The district told families that its "Positive COVID-19 Test Protocol" was enacted as soon the school was alerted by the Hancock County Health Department about the positive test. The student was immediately isolated and all close contacts were determined.
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IndyStar has reached out to the health department for more information.
According to the Indiana State Department of Health's COVID-19 dashboard, Hancock County has reported 597 total cases of the novel coronavirus and 37 deaths as of Friday.
The school's response
Families of students considered a close contact — someone who spent more than 15 minutes within six feet of an infected person — were contacted Thursday night, the district said.
Superintendent Harold Olin declined to say how many students were identified as close contacts. He said district nurses and the administration helped identify those people.
"Because we are able to narrow this list, there is no reason to disrupt the educational process for the larger group that is served within the school," Olin said in an email.
Olin did not know whether the student had symptoms.
The district said that all areas of all schools are disinfected every night after school and special attention was given to classrooms in which the infected student was present.
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A person who tests positive must isolate at home for 10 days, according to the district's reopening plan. For those with symptoms, they must be fever-free without medication for 72 hours before returning to school, in addition to quarantining for 10 days.
Olin said the district does not intend "to deviate from the plan at this time, though we are certainly willing to do that if our health department identifies more appropriate protocols and procedures for us to institute."
What the school's policy says
It's unclear when the student was tested, but getting results typically takes days, indicating the student was tested prior to the first day of school.
The Indiana Department of Education's guidance to school districts says if students or staff have "someone in their home being tested for COVID-19," the district can exclude that person from school and recommend they quarantine for 14 days.
But the Greenfield district's plan for reopening schools does not offer specific guidance on what students or staff should do if they have a pending test.
What happens now: The plan after a case is reported
The plan says students and staff should stay home if sick and notify the school if they exhibit symptoms related to the novel coronavirus. Officials have not said whether the student had symptoms.
The plan also says that anyone who has close contact with a confirmed positive case must quarantine for 14 days before returning to school, regardless of whether they have symptoms.
Indiana's public schools are among the first in the country to start their academic years after the pandemic interrupted education nationwide in the spring. Debate continues about whether it is appropriate or safe to bring students back into schools for in-person instruction as the pandemic continues.
Some area schools, including Indianapolis Public Schools and several of Marion County's township districts, have decided to restart the year virtually.
Call IndyStar education reporter Arika Herron at 317-201-5620 or email her at Arika.Herron@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: @ArikaHerron.
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