- Royal City, WA
5 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed to have come from the Royal School District. According to the Grant County Health District the COVID cases consist of both students and staff. 1 case was a district staff member and 4 were from the elementary and secondary middle school.
The Royal School District released a press release stating the following,
“If a child or other staff member had close contact with a person who tested positive, they will be contacted directly with instructions about monitoring symptoms, quarantining, and testing,” the district wrote in a press release. “At this point into the investigations, it is too early to assess whether there was any additional spread at schools.”
If any further cases are detected and confirmed to have come from a Royal School District building, health officials warned that the school(s) might be forced to close. Dr Alexander Brzezny Grant County Health's Officer said in a Moses Lake School Board meeting that would also be the case for their district if an outbreak happens inn any of their buildings.
“The decision to close the schools will be based on finding spread or outbreaks on school premises or on the buses.”
“For now, the schools in Royal City remain open based on the local school board decision to offer some form of in-person learning, but given the rate of COVID in Grant County, there is a continued risk for COVID spread on campus,” the district continued.
What happens when a Royal City student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19?
As required by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and local/state health authorities, all schools must be prepared for the possibility of positive COVID-19 cases and the need to quarantine. Quarantining is a necessary step to prevent further spread of the virus and protect staff and students. Our district will follow all protocols established by the Grant County Health District and the state Department of Health (DOH). Additionally, we will communicate as quickly as possible with all parties involved, while adhering to applicable FERPA and HIPAA privacy regulations.
Upon confirmation that a student or staff member has tested positive for COVID-19, trained Royal School District staff will immediately conduct required contact tracing. If it is determined that a student or staff member had close contact^ with a person who tested positive, they will be contacted directly by RSD staff with instructions about monitoring symptoms, quarantining, and testing. Additionally, students and staff who have been determined as NOT being close contacts will receive notification as follows:
If the confirmed individual attends Red Rock Elementary or Royal Intermediate School (K-6th grade), the school’s secretary will call:
Students from the same class
Students from the same bus route (if applicable)
If the confirmed individual attends Royal Middle or High School (7th-12th grade), an automated phone recording (“robocall”) from RSD will be sent to all students in that same school building.
When notifying students/staff who are not close contacts, RSD will only indicate: 1) whether the individual who tested positive was a staff or a student; 2) what class (grades K-6) or cohort (grades 7-12) the individual was in. The automated notification calls will never identify the individual’s name, gender, grade level, or age.
^ A close contact is a person who has been within about six feet of a person with confirmed novel coronavirus infection for a prolonged period of time or has had direct contact with secretions from a person with confirmed novel coronavirus infection. The definition of “close contact” used in Washington is the same as the CDC definition. (- WA DOH website)