Case of COVID-19 found at Du Quoin Middle School

An individual at Du Quoin Middle School has tested positive for COVID-19, District 300 Superintendent Matt Hickam said in an alert to the community on Thursday.

Hickam is calling the patient an "individual" to avoid identifying him or her as a student, teacher, staffer or administrator.

District 300 personnel and the Perry County Health Department are contract tracing, to find people who have been in contact with the patient, and get them tested and into quarantine.

Hickam said that the patient was feeling poorly and not in school when the positive contact was discovered, meaning that any community spread of the virus would have occurred off campus.

Still, those people who unknowingly came in contact with a COVID-19 positive person outside of school could have unwittingly brought the virus into the school as asymptomatic carriers, Hickam said.

"We're still in a window where others could test positive," Hickam said. He said by early next week, the district should have a pretty good idea if anyone else is positive.

"Fortunately it's a small circle right now given how we're doing things," Hickam added. Within the schools, students and teachers stay in small groups while being masked and socially distant to discourage the sharing of the virus.

To prevent spread, the district is taking several steps:

• Individuals who had prolonged close contact (within 6 feet of the COVID-positive individual for 15 minutes or longer) will be quarantined for 14 days. These close contacts will also receive a separate notification from the Perry County Health Department.

• Ongoing monitoring of students, faculty and staff for signs and symptoms of illness and evaluation of illness reports to promptly identify possible outbreaks.

• Conducted a deep clean and disinfection of the area impacted by potential exposure to COVID-19.

District 300 is enforcing safe practices to prevent, promptly identify, and respond to potential COVID cases:

• Students, faculty, and staff who are ill with COVID-like symptoms are sent home. • Students are required to wear face coverings at all times. Faculty and staffers are required to wear them at all times while in contact with children and other staff.

• High-touch surfaces are routinely cleaned and sanitized.

• Teachers continue to emphasize with students the importance of face coverings, social distancing, and proper hand-washing.

Last week, Hickam put out the following district statistics. The most recent case is not reflected in these numbers.

Faculty/staff

• 24 faculty/staff have missed work due to possible symptoms, close contact, possible close contact or being declared positive for COVID-19.

• 15 possible with symptoms

• Six due to close contact with a confirmed case

• One confirmed positive

Students

• 267 students have missed school due to possible symptoms, close contact, possible close contact or positive for COVID-19.

• 41 students are currently considered "active," (out for one of the above reasons)

• 37 students out of the 267 have had close contact with a positive, 36 of them outside of school

• One student was confirmed positive for COVID-19 to date.

"The health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff is our highest priority and we recognize the uncertainty and concern regarding COVID-19," Hickam wrote in an email to parents. "We are following guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the CDC, as well as our local health department for best practices and procedures to protect everyone's health."

For questions or concerns, contact the building principal directly or the district office, at (618) 542-3856.