Important COVID-19 Update: No School Thursday, Nov. 12
The email below was delivered to students and parents on Thursday, Nov .11, 2020.
11.11.2020
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Today we received a report that a third student has tested positive for COVID-19. The student was last on campus on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020. Based on the information provided by the family and our own contact tracing we do not believe this case was related to the other two and each source of infection was due to an external contact.
Under the guidance of the Allegheny County Health Department, due to these three cases being unrelated, Central Catholic has not been advised to move to online-only learning, but has made the decision to close tomorrow, November 12, to allow time for an additional deep cleaning of the campus and for our administration to contact trace and notify the parents of students who were in close contact with this student.
Students should not report to Central Catholic tomorrow, Thursday, November 12. All athletics and extra-curricular activities will proceed as previously scheduled. Unless otherwise instructed, students who are not online-only students should report to school on Friday, November 13.
The student has been advised to follow the Exclusion From and Return to School Requirements Form. We are working directly with the Allegheny County Health Department to determine close contacts. If your student is deemed a close contact, you will receive a phone call from our administration with further instructions.
Per the CDC, close contact is defined as any individual within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes. As part of the contact tracing protocol, anyone who has close contact with an infected person must self-quarantine for 14 days from the time of last exposure.
We encourage you to review the Health and Safety Plan to Reopen Central Catholic regularly to familiarize yourself with our COVID-19 protocols and procedures.
Consistent with CDC and health department guidelines, symptoms of COVID-19 may include, but are not limited to, fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, or new loss of taste or smell. We recommend that you review the guidelines from the CDC and contact your health care professional with questions or if your child shows signs of any symptoms listed above.
As a part of our COVID-19 high school safety protocol, each student is required to pass a health screen and temperature check each day. The safety of our community is our top priority. Common areas, classrooms, restrooms and the dining hall are cleaned and sanitized throughout the day and again each night. We are following the safety requirements as put forth by the CDC and the PA State Department of Health.
We will continue to keep our community informed in these ever-changing times.
If you have any questions, contact me at abaginski@centralcatholichs.com
Fraternally,
Brother Tony Baginski, FSC
Principal
