COVID-19 cases in our District 11/14/20

November 14, 2020

Dear parents and guardians,

We were notified that we have multiple positive cases of COVID-19 in our District. The cases involved three C.W. Baker High School students, a remote student at Van Buren Elementary School and a staff member in our Transportation Department. District officials in conjunction with the Onondaga County Health Department immediately began its investigation for each of the cases, which are ongoing.

The impacted Baker students, all relatives of one another, were last in attendance on November 6. The county Health Department is in the beginning stages of its contact tracing and investigation. They will be contacting the 25 students who are required to quarantine. The quarantine is expected to end on November 20, with a return to school on November 24 as scheduled for the Hive cohort.

The impacted remote student attends Van Buren Elementary School. Since the student is a remote learner and was not in attendance at the school this school year, there is no need for students or staff to quarantine based on school exposure.

The impacted staff member works in our Transportation Department and has not been in attendance recently. There is no need for any students or staff to quarantine based on school exposure.

The students and staff member are now in isolation. We can’t provide any additional information about them due to confidentiality and privacy constraints.

Out of an abundance of caution, we ask that families please keep an eye out for signs and symptoms as it takes 7 to 8 days after exposure. The District is taking precautions to protect the health and safety of its students and employees. We will continue to closely monitor this situation and communicate updates, if necessary.

At this time, the District has determined that there is no need to cancel in-person instruction at any of the impacted schools. The District’s custodial staff will continue its regular deep cleaning and sanitizing practices in our buildings and on our school buses.

We appreciate your support and understanding on this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out.

Sincerely,

Matthew J. McDonald, Superintendent of Schools