COVID-19 positive students put temporary stop to in-person classes at South Tahoe Middle School

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - South Tahoe Middle School is closed for Cohort B students on Thursday and Friday, February 11 and 12 due to two students testing positive for COVID-19.

The two students had symptoms of COVID-19 and were in attendance at STMS on Thursday and Friday last week, the first two days of the return of in-person classes. Positive test results were obtained on Monday and the school was notified in the afternoon. The school nurses began contact tracing in order to begin the notification process. Fifteen teachers and their classrooms were impacted.

There is no school next week due to Winter Break so all K-8 classes are set to resume the Cohort schedules on Monday, February 22.

South Tahoe Middle School students returned to the classroom last week, with Cohort A and Cohort B schedules. Cohort A meets Mondays and Tuesdays and started on February 8, and Cohort B meets on Thursdays and Fridays and started February 4.

Students have been thrilled to be back, even if just for two days a week, said the Lake Tahoe Unified School District PIO Shannon Chandler. All elementary schools across the district had a very successful return to hybrid and they have not had any positive cases at this time, she said.

The District wants to remind everyone how critical it is for families to complete the self-screening with their children prior to sending them to school each day. Any symptoms of COVID-19, no matter how minor, require students and staff to remain home and contact the school nurse for further guidance.

"We would like to remind all staff, students, and community that COVID-19 is extremely transmissible and any of these symptoms require students and staff to stay home and seek guidance from their health care provider and the school nurse," said Chandler.

Symptoms:
Fever >100.4
Congestion/ runny nose
Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea
Sore throat
Headache
Fatigue/ muscle or body aches
Cough Difficulty breathing
Loss of taste or smell

When LTUSD learns of any positive cases of COVID-19 at its schools, they notify El Dorado County Public Health, individual families, and with consent, Barton Health. The District is responsible for contact tracing, within the scope of its school boundaries, and so when they are notified, school nurses and administrators convene to determine next steps, close contacts, and notification.

Additionally, LTUSD’s school nurses collaborate with El Dorado County Public Health nurses, and El Dorado County school nurses to make recommendations on the ever changing guidance as it is released from CDC and CDPH. These processes have changed several times since original guidance was issued in June, said Chandler. The need to be fluid and flexible has been critical as the guidance changes in response to the science and what is learned about COVID-19, she said.