Coleytown Elementary School (CES) closed down on Sept. 11 after a staff member tested positive for Coronavirus just three days after opening the school to students for the first time since March The district plans to reopen CES on Monday. 

“The Administration learned early this morning that a staff member has tested positive for COVID-19,” Superintendent Thomas Scarice wrote in an email to families.  “Given the timing of the notice and our need to follow District protocols with contact tracing, as a precautionary measure, Coleytown Elementary School will be closed today.”

Both CES and Stepping Stones, the preschool located inside the building, were closed for a thorough cleaning.  Classes were mostly held online, but some classes were cancelled as not all teachers could access their materials.  

According to the email sent the day of the closure, the administrative team has begun contact tracing protocols.  In a follow up email sent to families this afternoon, Scarice revealed that the staff member had spent time in two CES classrooms and that those community members have been moved to distanced learning and were recommended to quarantine.  However, due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the school district may not share the name of the staff member.  

The district hopes to adjust their closing plans after this event, to better serve the community. 

“I expect that we will continue to confront circumstances like this throughout the duration of the pandemic,” Scarice wrote.  “We will get better in our response each time.  We will learn lessons from each event and we will continue to educate and develop our children to the very best of our ability.”