TEXARKANA, Texas - Liberty-Eylau Elementary School recently sent four classes home to quarantine - to prevent the potential spread of the new coronavirus - after getting word that two staff members received positive COVID-19 tests.
After the two staff members who had present been on the elementary school campus Wednesday and Thursday informed L-E Independent School District of their positive results, the district sent notification letters out to parents and began contact tracing.
"The district performed contact tracing to determine who, if anyone, was in close contact with the infected individuals," said Director of Communications Matt Fry. "Out of an abundance of caution and in accordance with CDC guidelines, two other staff members and 64 students are required to quarantine. The students and teachers affected are in lower grade levels. Suggested mitigation measures for those grade levels were followed."
These 64 students were transitioned to remote learning to maintain seamless continuity of instruction, according to Fry.
The other two staff members quarantined are partner teachers.
Fry said it's a precautionary measure, due to it being lower grade levels of students involved.
L-EISD is not the first district to send a class home to quarantine. Pleasant Grove Elementary sent a class home in late August after a student was test-confirmed to have COVID-19.
L-EISD reported no new cases to the Texas Department of State Health Services for the most recent period of Sept. 21 to Sept. 27, and has one of the lowest percentages of total student positivity rates among Bowie County districts, at approximately 0.3%, according to DSHS reports.
These two new staff cases as of Oct. 1 will bring their total positive case count among staff members to five, since July 27.