Great Bend USD 428 announced Monday that a student at Great Bend Middle School had tested positive for COVID-19 and known contacts/exposure had been provided to the Barton County Health Department (BCHD). The district also announced that a staff member at Great Bend High School had tested positive.

Previous reports showed a staff member at Lincoln Elementary School who was present for work days before the start of school had tested positive (reported Aug. 21) and a staff member at GBHS had tested positive (Aug. 25). In both cases, there was no known staff or student exposure.

USD 428 announcements can be found on the district website, greatbendschools.net/covid-19.

Superintendent Khris Thexton said the district was prepared for its first positive cases of COVID-19.

“We feel fortunate to have students and staff back in our buildings as we start school this fall,” Thexton said. “Even with new routines and health protocols to teach, meaningful learning was taking place starting on day one. While we’ve done our best to implement layered strategies to reduce risk, we were also prepared to face our first positive cases of COVID-19 and the related quarantine orders. Additional professional development at the beginning of the school year equipped teachers with the training they needed to help students transition from on-site to temporary remote learning in the case of a quarantine.”

He added, "We continue to encourage staff, students, and families to be diligent in self-screening for symptoms as well as enhanced hygiene efforts. Each day presents new challenges, but our goal is clear - to provide our students with an excellent education."