52 students, 5 adults in quarantine after Powell County teacher tests positive for COVID-19

Fifty-seven people were quarantined in Powell County after a middle school teacher tested positive for COVID-19, district officials said Tuesday.

In a Monday letter to families, Powell Superintendent Anthony Orr said 52 students and five adults at a district school last week were quarantined based on a positive COVID test of a teacher who had been in-person with students one day.

A district staff member told the Herald-Leader Tuesday the teacher worked at Powell County Middle School. Orr was not immediately available for comment Tuesday.

The teacher’s symptoms were self-reported. The teacher did not come to school Wednesday of last week and tested quickly, minimizing exposure to others, the letter said.

Once the positive test was confirmed, the families of potential contacts were notified Oct. 1

The students on quarantine will learn remotely until their return, expected on October 14, Orr’s letter said.

The letter said students and staff have all done “a great job” of staying masked and distant where possible. The mask drastically cuts down the chances of COVID transmission,but the quarantine period gives district officials time to make sure they stop the spread before it starts, according to the letter.

In cases where a student has a positive test, it is likely fewer quarantines will be required, as seating charts will help narrow the number of potential contacts. To date, none of the positive COVID cases has been transmitted in schools or extracurricular activities., the letter said.

When students are placed on quarantine as potential contacts in Powell County , their learning continues. Students return to remote learning during quarantine and should be able to easily transition back to in-person when their quarantine is over, the letter said.

Student attendance is not impacted as long as quarantined students remain engaged in their remote work.

District officials track participation for non-traditional instruction and record attendance, but that is not tied to funding, the letter said.

Gov. Andy Beshear said on Tuesday that there were at least 40 new cases since Monday in Kentucky K-12 schools.

This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 5:23 PM.