Shelter Island School to reopen Tuesday: Decision follows cleaning and consultations
After a one-day closing, necessitated after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, the Shelter Island School building will reopen on Tuesday for all students.
Closing was announced on Sunday for Monday, as soon as the staff member informed the district of the positive COVID-19 results, Superintendent Brian Doelger, Ed.D., said.
But in consultations with Shelter Island’s Dr. Joshua Potter and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, as well as school nurse Mary Kanarvogel, Police Chief and Emergency Management Director Jim Read and Board of Education President Kathleen Lynch, it was decided that reopening on Tuesday is safe.
A deep cleaning of the building occurred Monday morning and will be done a second time Monday night.
The district has a high level air purifying system in place and is taking every precaution to ensure safety for students and staff, Mr. Doelger said.
The staff member who tested positive was able to get a rapid confirmation of illness Sunday and informed Mr. Doelger of the situation. That person has not been in the building since last Tuesday, Nov. 24.
No one else was required to quarantine, the superintendent said. Should such a situation develop at any time in the future, those who would have to be quarantined would be immediately informed, he said.
“We still plan to remain in-person for as long as the situation is safe,” Mr. Doelger said. He noted that Gov. Andrew Cuomo at a Monday news conference announced, “Schools continue to be one of the safest places due to our controlled setting, screening and safety procedures.”
The Board of Education has been holding in-person monthly meetings — outside the building during warm weather, but in the large gymnasium with social distancing maintained and masks required since cooler weather has arrive.
Going forward, no decision has yet been made about whether those meetings will continue to be in-person or through Zoom as Shelter Island town meetings are held. The next Board of Education meeting is currently slated for Monday, Dec. 7, and Mr. Doelger expects to make a decision by the end of this week.
