LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hours into the first day of class, parents of Bloom Elementary students received notice that an individual from the school recently tested positive for COVID-19.
In a letter to parents, the school said anyone identified through contract tracing as close contacts has been notified directly if they need to self-quarantine.
Jefferson County Public Schools said Bloom was not the only school to receive notices. Officials said there were 29 positive cases in the district (two of which were staff). None of those people were in school.
Starting the day, JCPS knew of 126 students in quarantine. At the end of the day, 190 students and 13 staff were quarantined.
The district said it will continue to receive alerts from the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness any time there is a positive case in a school. The district said it will provide staff and families with as much information on confirmed cases as possible.
JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio said despite this, it was a successful first day back. Both school leaders and parents say even with every safety protocol followed, they expected a continued battle with the virus. They told WHAS11 the key to keeping schools open will be to address popups quickly.
"They acted quickly and did exactly what they were supposed to do," Dr. Pollio said about Bloom Elementary. "We minimize the amount of close contact, so we don't have to quarantine."
While Dr. Pollio believes masks and vaccines will limit issues, JCPS does have 10 emergency "COVID" days if things get out of control.
"We might have to make some tough decisions," Pollio said.
Patrick Carrico has a son in third grade at Bloom Elementary, and his wife teaches at the school.
"It would have been nice if [the school] could have made it further into the school year [without a case], but they really have all their dominoes set up to handle it," Carrico said.
Carrico said he expects pop-ups to continue to happen, but he's just hoping it won't come with school interruptions for entire classrooms at a time.
"It's good for them to be back in school, just unfortunate it has to be under these circumstances," Carrico said.
Students displaying symptoms of COVID-19 can receive a test at school with a parent or guardian's consent.
If an unvaccinated student has been in contact with someone who tests positive ("in contact" defined as within three feet for 15 minutes or longer), the student will have to quarantine, even if they were wearing a mask.
Vaccinated students who come into contact with someone who tests positive will not have to quarantine if they do not display any symptoms.
Quarantined students will still be able to learn virtually through a program separate from the JCPS online Pathfinder School.
The Board of Education had already announced JCPS would require masks inside all school facilities before Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order for all K-12 schools, preschools and child care centers.
In addition to universal masking, JCPS said hand sanitizer will be available throughout buildings and high-contact surfaces will be sanitized throughout the day. When possible, desks will be spaced out to maintain social distancing.
The district is also continuing to encourage schools use areas like gyms, classrooms and outside spaces to reduce the number of people in cafeterias.
Parents are asked to contact Health Services at (502) 485-3387 if anyone in their household tests positive for COVID-19.
More information on the district's COVID-19 policies can be found here.
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