The following is a letter issued by Marcellus Superintendent of Schools Michelle Brantner concerning COVID-19 in the school district.
Dear Marcellus Senior High School Parents and Guardians:
On Sunday evening, the Marcellus School District was made aware that a Marcellus Senior High School teacher has tested positive for COVID-19. Knowing that our work with Onondaga Health Department will begin early this morning, we made the decision to close Marcellus High School today, Monday, October 5, 2020, to allow adequate time for contact tracers to complete their work.
We will work collaboratively with the Onondaga County Health Department to complete the investigation. It is our belief that the process will take most of the day today, 10/5. The Health Department will begin the process of notifying individuals considered to be in “close contact” with the staff member who tested positive. Out of an abundance of caution, students will NOT be attending in-person schooling at Marcellus High School on Monday, 10/5. In addition, all students in both the A and B cohorts who attend a half-day CTE program at any BOCES will NOT attend today, Monday, October 5th. Mr. Durkee emailed instructions to all families on Friday for use in the event that we needed to close school and transition quickly to remote learning. Please refer to that document for further instructions. The letter can also be found on the high school page of the district website. Please make certain that your child is prepared to be online at their designated class meeting times today to meet with their teachers and receive instruction and assignments virtually.
In addition to following the recommendations of the Onondaga County Health Department, we will continue to deep clean and sanitize our school buildings, as we have done each day, in addition to following all safety procedures and protocols. The staff member who tested positive, and any other students/faculty/staff who were considered to be in “close contact”, will not return to school until the Onondaga County Health Department provides clearance for them to do so.
Due to legal considerations, we cannot provide any additional information to you about the identity of the staff member who tested positive. We ask that you continue to encourage your children to practice good hand-washing hygiene, wear face masks in the proper manner, and practice social distancing.
If you or a family member start to exhibit symptoms of the virus (fever, shortness of breath, vomiting, diarrhea and/or coughing, for example), please reach out to your physician and inform your child’s school nurse. If you do not have a physician, you can contact the Upstate Medical hotline at 315-464-3979. If you would like further information on COVID-19, please go to this Onondaga County website, ongov.net/health, and click on the COVID-19 link.
If there are further updates, we will communicate them directly with you. Our students’ safety is our highest priority. We appreciate your support as we work through this challenging situation together.
Sincerely,
Michelle L. Brantner
Superintendent
