Ketchikan High School. (KRBD file photo)
Classes will resume at Ketchikan High School after being closed Monday for disinfection and deep-cleaning following a positive case of COVID-19 reported in someone associated with the school.
The district hasn’t said if it was a student, faculty member or other employee. Superintendent Beth Lougee says Monday’s 24-hour closure allowed teachers to shift to online learning.
“It was just another day of school — just looked different. And we feel like that went really well. So we look forward to, you know, feedback and then continuing to work on improving the areas that we’ve already been working and improving on,” Lougee said in a phone interview Monday.
She says state public health authorities have contacted 20 students and one staff member believed to be close associates of the COVID-19 positive person. They’ll quarantine until Nov. 13 and participate remotely in the meantime.
Anyone who hasn’t been instructed to quarantine should come back to Ketchikan High School on Tuesday, she said.
It’s the third COVID-19 case at the school district since August. The two previous cases were contained with no widespread outbreaks reported. Lougee said Ketchikan schools’ health protocols seem to be working.
“Everybody is right now, knock on wood, feeling really good about where we’re at and the safety that we’re providing for our students and staff,” Lougee said.
The true extent won’t be known for as long as two weeks. Officials haven’t reported test results for the 21 students and staff currently in quarantine.
