Large parties, sleepovers without masks found in Fayette school contact tracing

When 12 new positive coronavirus cases and more than 200 quarantines emerged in Fayette County schools this week, district officials received reports of large parties and sleepovers where children didn’t wear masks.

“Since returning to in person learning in February, we have not had any cases of transmission on campus,” said district spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall. “However, during the contact tracing process, we are receiving reports of large parties and sleepovers where children of all ages from multiple households have gathered without masks for extended periods of time.”

Contact tracing identifies and analyzes the interactions a person who tests positive has had with others to assess the potential risk to the community.

Following a report given to the Herald-Leader Monday night, there have been 12 more positive cases in Fayette schools and 198 students and seven staff have quarantined, Deffendall said.

Spring Break begins Monday, March 29.

“We will need everyone’s help to avoid another surge of cases like the one we saw in January after winter break,” she said.

Schools reporting new cases of students testing positive include Mary Todd Elementary (two students tested positive); Garrett Morgan Elementary (two students tested positive); Maxwell Elementary (one student tested positive); Brenda Cowan Elementary (one student tested positive); Rosa Parks Elementary (one student tested positive); Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (three students tested positive); Tates Creek High School (one student tested positive); Winburn Middle School, (one student tested positive).

Also on Friday, the principal at Picadome Elementary in an email told families that a student had tested positive.

Varying numbers of students at all those schools have been quarantined and at some schools, staff have been quarantined.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday updated K–12 school guidance to reflect the latest science on physical distance between students in classrooms. The CDC now recommends that, with universal masking, students should maintain a distance of at least 3 feet, instead of six feet, in classroom settings.

In Fayette County, students currently in quarantine are learning remotely from home.

In a gradual return to in-person learning for the first time since March 2020, preschoolers and grades 7, 8, 10 and 11 returned Monday. Students in other grades at main middle and high schools returned March 8. Elementary students began returning to face-to-face instruction Feb. 22. Students in special schools will go back to school buildings March 22.

This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 3:41 PM.