Macksville Junior High and High School announced Saturday that students and teachers for grades 7-12 will be quarantined until Sept. 15 due to possible exposure to a student who has tested positive for COVID-19.

The Macksville USD 351 website provided a link to a public health order for quarantine from the Stafford County Health Department, addressed to "Patient: Macksville Jr High/High School Staff and Student.”

“The Stafford County Health Department and the Stafford County Health Officer have reason to believe that you may have been exposed to a person who was infectious with COVID-19 during the time period Aug. 31, 2020 to Sept. 1, 2020. For this reason, you may develop COVID-19 and infect other people.”

The school district announced there will be no school activities or practices during this time. All students will follow their normal school schedule via Google Meet with their teachers starting Wednesday.

Superintendent Greg Rinehart also issued a letter to parents and guardians on Sunday, which was posted on the district website. “We did have a volleyball player test positive for COVID  and she did attend a volleyball match last Tuesday,” he wrote. “Because of the close proximity to other students on the bus and in the locker room the team had to be quarantined. In addition, we could not guarantee with 100% accuracy of the contacts within the classrooms, lunch rooms and other areas last Monday and Tuesday. Therefore, the decision was made to quarantine the entire building.”

The superintendent said this was a difficult decision but was made with input from several individuals, including medical professionals. “I fully understand this is not a popular decision, but the safety of your children, our students and staff, is an area I take extremely serious,” Rinehart wrote.

Larned schools

On Friday, Fort Larned USD 495 was notified that a staff member at Larned Elementary School and a student at Larned High School tested positive for COVID-19. “Per established protocol,” the district announced on its website, staff are thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting areas within those facilities. “We are also in contact with the Pawnee County Health Department and will take the steps necessary to protect the health of our staff and students. The district is closely monitoring this situation and will notify families if any additional actions need to be taken in the near future.”