Kentwood High School and Covington Elementary will both be open on Wednesday after closing two days because of the coronavirus.
“King County Public Health has determined the self-quarantined Kentwood family is not experiencing any further COVID-19 symptoms,” Kent School District Superintendent Calvin Watts posted Tuesday on the district website. “There is no confirmed case of the Covid-19 virus in Kent School District at this time. Cleaning and disinfecting of Kentwood and Covington will be complete this (Tuesday) evening, both schools will be open tomorrow.”
Watts said while information about COVID-19 is changing day-to-day, all schools in Kent School District will remain open unless there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in a student, staff member or close contact as defined by the CDC.
Watts also posted several notices as part of his message:
• As new information emerges, please remember that the risk of novel coronavirus is not at all connected with race, ethnicity, or nationality.
• Most students are healthy and are not at risk for complications from COVID-19.
• Medically vulnerable and people over 60 are most at risk from COVID-19.
• Closing schools is not currently recommended by King County Public Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• School closures are communicated through several communication channels, learn more on the district website.
• Kent School District is following all Washington State Department of Health and King County Public Health guidelines and not canceling assemblies, sporting events or other gatherings at this time.
• Public Health will contact key school personnel, such as the school nurse, principal, or district leadership if there is a confirmed case involving a KSD student or staff member.
• You can help students and staff reduce their risk for getting and spreading viral respiratory infections, including the flu and the common cold, by encouraging them to take simple steps which will also prevent 2019-nCoV.
“We understand that each family situation is different,” Watts said. “Your family is the ultimate decision maker about what steps to take to keep your family safe. Please contact your school to report an absence or if you have questions about make-up work from missed school.”
Watts said out of an abundance of caution, Kentwood HS and Covington Elementary were closed Monday and Tuesday and custodial staff was mobilized to begin thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting both schools.
Furthermore, Watts explained that a parent of two Kentwood students was “experiencing flu-like symptoms” and was waiting to be tested for the virus.
The parent was at a health care center recently where other positive cases have been confirmed and then became sick with flu-like symptoms last week, Watts said. The students did attend school and activities last week and are not symptomatic at this time. Another member of this same family works at Covington Elementary School and is also not showing any flu-like symptoms but did attend work all last week.
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