COVID-19 touches Holyoke Alternative School

A student or staff member in Holyoke Alternative School has tested positive for COVID-19. The individual was last in the district Monday, Oct. 12.

Each case is reviewed by public health, and as part of the investigation:

­— The person diagnosed with COVID-19 is being kept home from school until they are no longer infectious.

­— The person’s activities when they could have spread COVID-19 were assessed.

­— The people who were close contacts of the person with COVID-19 have been instructed to stay home from school for a 14-day quarantine.

Close contacts are considered all classroom members who were within 6 feet of the person with COVID-19 for more than 15 minutes.

Students considered close contacts have been notified that during the quarantine period, they will not be allowed on campus or to attend any school functions.

The students who need to quarantine and their families were contacted by phone and were also sent letters outlining the situation.

The Alternative School, which has undergone numerous extensive cleaning sessions since Oct. 12, is open and operating normally without the individual who has tested positive or those who are now in the 14-day quarantine.

Superintendent Kyle Stumpf said the district still believes that the best education experience is in-person learning, and he expressed his confidence that the staff, administration and district have created plans and processes to allow quality learning to still take place in the event students or staff members need to be quarantined.

“I would like to thank our staff, our students and their parents during these past few months. Their willingness to help support the recommended school protocols as well as the guidelines by Colorado Department of Education, the CDC and our local health departments pertaining to the pandemic allowed for a minimal number of our students to be quarantined instead of our entire alternative school and our entire JR/SR high school.”

Students and staff members of both Holyoke Elementary and Holyoke JR/SR High are not affected by this positive case, and normal operations will continue.

Family member of preschool student tests positive

Marcia Walter, director of Dragon’s Wagon Preschool, said a family member of a student there has tested positive for COVID-19. That student, and another who may have been in close contact, will now quarantine for 14 days.

Walter was notified of the positive case Thursday, Oct. 15, and the preschool closed for the afternoon for deep cleaning. The school was scheduled to resume normal operations Monday, Oct. 19.

Walter noted that after the 14-day quarantine, and as long as they are symptom-free, the students can return to school.

In the event a student or staff member tests positive, the preschool would be closed for two weeks.

“It’s really important for families to be honest with us to help prevent the spread,” Walter said.

Walter went on to say that she is working closely with the health department, and they’re doing everything they can to keep everyone at the preschool safe.