Three cases of COVID-19 in Fall River public schools

FALL RIVER — The city’s public school system is dealing with three new cases of COVID-19, confirmed Superintendent Matt Malone.

Letters were sent out to parents of students at B.M.C. Durfee High School and Morton Middle School informing them that there had been positive test results at those schools.

“Since we reopened our schools for learning in the summer, we’ve dealt with cases of employees and students who have either been exposed — if they’ve been exposed we’ve dealt with the protocol — and if they’ve tested positive again we’ve addressed it with the state protocol with the board of health,” said Malone. “We’ve addressed each of the situations, we’ve communicated and we’ve done the best possible to maintain safety and to be transparent.”

On Tuesday, Malone said he would not say whether the two of the three cases were at Morton or Durfee. Citing HIPAA privacy laws, he also would not disclose whether those affected were students, teachers or administrators in an effort to not identify those individuals. “I don’t even have to write a letter, but I do that because I think it’s the right thing to do,” he added.

He did say that anyone who may have been in contact with those people was notified by the board of health as a matter of contract tracing. Those who have been exposed have to be quarantined until they receive a negative test result as a preventative or precautionary measure; in the case of a positive test, there’s a whole different quarantine that requires documentation before a person can return to school.

As a result of the recent cases, he said, there have been people who have quarantined as a precautionary measure who are awaiting test results.

“If they come back negative, they’ll be back. If they come back positive, there will be more contact tracing. That’s how it works. This is how it works in every organization in the United States and around the world right now,” said Malone. “Stay calm. We’ve addressed this, we’ve been very clear, we’re working very closely with the board of health and we’ve done the best possible job we can to communicate.”

Though he said he may be “overcommunicating” by sending out letters whenever there is a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, Malone reiterated the sentiment he expressed this summer while planning for reopening of being open with the school community.

“People took a giant leap of faith in us and we want to make sure that means we’re upholding our end of the bargain, and that means we’re communicating to everyone when we have positive tests,” he said.

He also reiterated some of the measures that are in the reopening plans that will help mitigate the spread, including daily spot-cleaning and deep-cleaning the schools twice a week. He also said he has the ability to close down a school for cleaning if numbers increase, but the school system isn’t at that point yet.

In response to the letters that have gone out, Malone said parents want to know information that he’s not able to share with them due to privacy concerns.

“They have to put trust and faith in the process. Unless you’ve been contacted, then you or your child or whoever was not a close contact. Now the reality is this is a virus, it spreads and people are going to get sick. We cannot live in a bubble. ... We’re all exposed and we have to mitigate the risk and do the best job we can to stay calm and responsible in our reactions,” said Malone.