2 Coronavirus Cases Close Immaculate High School In Danbury

Danbury CT

30 September, 2020

3:30 PM

Description

DANBURY, CT — Immaculate High School has switched its attendance model to full distance learning until Tuesday, Oct. 13, after two students tested positive for the coronavirus. Classes were already closed on Monday, Oct. 12 for Columbus Day, and Friday, Oct. 9 for a teacher's retreat. Sports will resume on Oct. 9. "We had two reported cases, one in each student cohort, within a one week period," Immaculate President Mary Maloney told Patch. The temporary closure follows the recommendation of the Department of Public Health after case investigations and contact tracing. A letter to parents from the school nurse informing the Catholic school's community was sent on Sept. 28. "Students and our parents have been extremely cooperative and understanding of the guidelines that we have in place," Maloney said Wednesday. "Our Reopening Plan Task Force meets weekly. Yesterday it was agreed that to further mitigate and assist with contact tracing in the building, we will be increasing our lunch schedule from two to three waves per day." Approximately 65 students of the school's 408 students have elected to be full-time virtual learners for the first semester. Reopening plans for 2020-2021 school year include a real-time synchronous hybrid learning model where students are divided alphabetically into two cohorts. Each cohort reports to the school building two days a week while the other cohort is participating in 55-minute classes using Microsoft teams. Both cohorts are virtual once a week. Standard letter grading and assessment policies remain in place as do student course expectations, Maloney said.