The Stephens County School System sent home eight elementary school staff members who were exposed to COVID-19. All of them work at Big A Elementary School, one of six schools in the county. On July 31, they came into contact with a fellow employee who later tested positive for the virus, says Stephens County School Superintendent Dr. Daniel Oldham.
“At that time the staff member was not symptomatic but began feeling under the weather over the weekend,” Oldham tells Now Habersham. “The staff member stayed home and got tested. Once they got the results on Thursday. They notified us and we acted swiftly with guidance from DPH (Department of Public Health).”
The staff members exposed were concentrated in the Pre-K program. No parents or students were exposed, Oldham says. Still, the incident caused the school district to postpone the first day of class for students in the pre-K and PREP programs. “Starting without these staff members would not be possible,” he says.
The staff members are self-quarantined and are scheduled to return to work on August 14. Since that’s on a Friday, Stephens County school administrators decided to postpone the first day of school for pre-K and PREP (Preschool Readiness Education Program) students until Monday, August 17.
Kindergarten will begin, as scheduled, on August 12. Big A Elementary School is scheduled to undergo “extra sanitation” by the school system’s maintenance department before kindergarten starts.
“I am very proud of all of my staff at the district and school levels for their response to these uncertain times,” Oldham tells Now Habersham. “It is very evident that they are dedicated to opening school and serving the Stephens County community.”
