Two individuals in the Central school district have reportedly been diagnosed with COVID-19. The first case popped up in the high school and the most recent case came from Hayshire Elementary. Both individuals were in contact with other students and staff before being diagnosed.

As instructed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, both are currently in quarantine and following safety procedures. Students and staff who were in contact with the carriers have been instructed to also quarantine for the recommended two weeks.

“The Department of Health will notify these individuals of quarantine protocols or any measures to take for their health and safety at this time and before returning to school,” assures Julie Romig, the district spokeswoman.

At this time Central has not released any plans to close any of the schools despite the confirmed cases. With the shock of the news settling in, many students are beginning to wonder when the school will be reverting to online learning.

As seen from the actions taken with these two cases, Central plans on enforcing the quarantine of exposed individuals instead of forcing the entire student body online. While that may seem like a plausible solution, some are beginning to have their doubts.

Some students feel that Central’s administrators are not taking into account that not all students will be able to test for COVID properly. The dependence on students recognizing symptoms right away could prove to be the school’s downfall. The discovery of asymptomatic carriers and the reality that many students go to school feeling under the weather, but unwilling to get behind in class, could prove fatal.

“As the cases increase in number I don’t think I would feel safe in school. It is only a matter of time till school closes because the cases will go up and at a certain point the school has too close,” says Marc DiPiano, a junior at CYHS.

Like DiPiano, many other students share the same sentiment. The hot topic around the building is whether or not students plan on sticking it out for the next few weeks or making the switch to online school ahead of time.

Central staff and administrators continue to assure Central families that they are doing everything in their power to keep their students and those in the community safe.

Click the link below to check out Central’s reopening plan for the 2020-2021 school year.

CYSD Phased School Reopening Health and Safety Plan