A Littlebrook School student has tested positive for COVID-19, but no close contacts have been identified and no other Littlebrook School students – except for the affected student – will be required to quarantine, Interim Superintendent of Schools Barry Galasso said.
The student was last in school Nov. 17, but did not show symptoms until Nov. 20, Galasso said.
School district officials received notification of the child’s positive COVID-19 test on Nov. 22. The student will not be in class during the next week and will continue to quarantine for at least 14 days.
The Princeton Health Department was contacted and reviewed the case.
Galasso thanked school district parents and staff for their continued vigilance in following health protocols. He advised that “caution is crucial as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday.”
“We encourage families to use the extra week of remote learning after Thanksgiving to stay at home, avoid unnecessary travel and to be alert for any symptoms,” Galasso said.
School district officials announced on Nov. 18 that the district will follow its regular hybrid schedule, which combines in-person and remote learning, through Nov. 24. The following day, Nov. 25, had already been scheduled as an early dismissal day and a remote learning day for all students.
Galasso said that after Thanksgiving, there will be one week of remote learning for all students – from Nov. 30 through Dec. 4 – to allow for quarantining by students and staff. The school district will return to its hybrid schedule on Dec. 7, he said.
“As confirmed cases of COVID-19 rise in the community, we are concerned that the number of staff and students who may need to quarantine after Thanksgiving will make it difficult for Princeton Public Schools to operate schools,” Galasso said.
“The extra week (of remote learning) will give us time to ensure that when we re-start the hybrid program Dec. 7, we will do so in the safest possible way, having allowed for staff and students to quarantine as necessary,” he said.
Galasso said the school district has been fortunate that there have been so few cases associated with the schools, and “to the best of our knowledge, there has been no transmission in our buildings.”