Two students on the Mt. Edgecumbe High School campus have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. In an interview with KCAW on Sunday, MEHS Superintendent Janelle Vanasse said they were tested when they arrived in Sitka. The school received the results Friday (8-21-20).
“We had two students that were very unaware that they had the virus or that they would test positive,” Vanasse said. “They did indeed test positive so we were able to isolate them right away.”
The students were asymptomatic at the time of testing. Vanasse said they also isolated all students who were in close contact with the students who tested positive, and notified parents.
The two positive cases will not alter the state boarding school’s timeline for reopening this week — the possibility of some students testing positive upon arrival is built into the reopening plan. Most students arrived in Sitka last week, with the final charter plane arriving Saturday night. All students were tested for COVID-19 on arrival.
Vanasse said students are isolating in their dorm rooms until all of their test results come back. Then, those who have tested negative get to open up their social bubbles slightly.
“Then they will be able to interact with a small cohort. These cohorts are set up with dorm rooms and close-by dorm rooms,” she said.
Students will all be tested again in seven days, and will only interact with their small cohorts for the first two weeks on campus.
Vanasse said the first two weeks are critical in limiting student exposure to the virus. After that, the campus will relax restrictions a bit, though regular testing will continue throughout the school year. A quarter of the student body will be tested weekly, meaning every student will be tested at least once a month. And students who live in Sitka and commute to campus will test weekly, along with faculty and staff.
Vanasse said they’ve been working on the intensive “Smart Start” plan since May and are following it closely. Even so, she said they’ll continue to be flexible– nothing is set in stone.
“Now that we’re in it, and we’re executing our plan, we’re relying on a really solid plan, but we are still having to make decisions every day.”
Vanasse said a handful of families decided against sending their children back to school this year. Should those students decide to return next year, they will be automatically accepted. And she said the students who are returning to campus are excited, though some are anxious, about starting the school year.
“They’re being so far, really great about following the mitigation practices that we’ve asked. Masks have not been a problem at all. Kids are being very compliant with mask wearing,” she said.
“Social distancing we have to do a lot of reminding with that, because they are anxious to see their friends,” she continued. “However, I think everybody knows it’s really important that we get through this transition time in order to make a really solid, good year for us.”
Mt. Edgecumbe High School begins its school year today with orientation, and classes start on Thursday.
Note: As of Monday morning (8-24-20) the two positive COVID-19 cases at MEHS had not been added to the Sitka’s COVID-19 count, which still sits at 37 resident and 15 non-resident cases, according to city data.
