Ringgold students test positive for COVID-19
Ringgold School District announced in a letter sent to parents and guardians Monday that two elementary students have tested positive for COVID-19.
The letter, posted and signed by Superintendent Randall Skrinjorich, states that the district learned of the cases at Ringgold Elementary School South early Monday morning and immediately contacted the state Department of Health for instruction on how to handle it.
The letter said the district began notifying parents and contact tracing to determine if any student or staff had been in close contact with the two students who tested positive. This means, Skrinjorich wrote in the letter, anyone within six feet for more than 15 minutes without a mask.
“After reviewing our contact tracing, the DOH has directed that only individuals who have had ‘close contact’ with the student who tested positive be self-quarantined for 14 days,” he wrote in the letter.
Parents whose students meet the criteria for having been in close contact will be notified, the letter states, and those students will have to begin the district’s “Option 2,” or learning from home, immediately. The letter said the district will maintain contact with these families and any staff that was in close contact with the students who tested positive.
“At this time, the DOH has not recommended closing Ringgold Elementary School South or any classrooms at Ringgold South Elementary School,” the letter said.
The district has been following its board-approved health and safety plan protocols, including cleaning and disinfecting “locations visited by the individuals who tested positive with COVID-19,” according to the letter. The other protocols include contract tracing and communicating with individuals and parents.
The letter reminds parents to keep their children home if they feel ill or exhibit any symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, cough or loss of taste.
“Our foremost priority is the safety of our students, staff, and community members,” Skrinjorich said in the letter. “We will continue to keep you informed as we receive additional information.”