By News-Register staff • 

Four Willamina students diagnosed with COVID-19

 

Three Willamina High School students and one other student have been diagnosed with COVID-19, Superintendent Carrie Zimbrick confirmed to the News-Register Friday.

Additionally, the entire baseball and football teams were exposed, according to the superintendent.

The baseball team played its first game Monday, April 12, and the football team played its last game Friday, April 9.

"We have more than 100 students advised to quarantine due to potential exposure," imbrick said.

The school campus on Oaken Hills Drive was closed Friday, as a thorough cleaning of the facilities was taking place, Zimbrick said.

There is no school Monday, a time reserved for staff planning. Kindergarten through sixth graders will return Tuesday. High school students, however, will begin a two-week hybrid model "pause" at that time, on the recommendation of the Yamhill County Health Department, according to the superintendent.

"We're going to err on the side of caution," she said. "Contact tracing is not perfect, but we're working as hard on it as we can."

She issued the following statement, in part, regarding the COVID outbreak:

"As members of the school community, we understand that this might raise concerns alongside a caring response. We are working closely with Yamhill County Public Health Department to respond to this news and protect the health of our community by having afternoon riders from the black bus route quarantine (both students rode this bus the afternoon of Friday, April 9), temporarily closing an afternoon third grade classroom and identifying and informing high school students and staff that may have been exposed. Exposure is defined as: closer than six feet for more than 15 minutes cumulative per day.

"Each situation calls for different protocols. In this case, we will follow these steps: 1. Require all students and staff that have been exposed to quarantine for a minimum of seven days, provided they have a negative test, as advised by the Oregon Health Authority. If a person chooses not to get tested, the quarantine requirement is 10 days provided no symptoms arise. If a person develops symptoms the quarantine time is 14 days. 2. Provide rapid testing for any student or staff that requests testing and has filled out the appropriate permission forms. 3. Deep clean classrooms and common areas in the school."

Zimbrick said the district will keep students, parents and staff updated with new information as it is available, "while meeting the requirements to honor evereyone's right to privacy."

More information can be found on the Oregon Department of Education’s Ready Schools, Safe Learners page and the Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 page.

Anyone with questions or concerns can email the superintendent at carrie.zimbrick@willamina.k12.or.us  or call 503-876-1501.

 

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