Student Tests Positive For COVID-19 On The First Day Of School

Just as parents all over the country are dealing with the hard choice of whether to send their kids back to school physically or online, a student in Greenfield, Indiana has tested positive for COVID-19 on the day the district returned to class.

The superintendent sent an email to parents of students at Greenfield-Central Junior High School Thursday (7/30), notifying them that a student at the school had tested positive for the virus. We have initiated them."

KENS 5 TV reported that a student reportedly attended school for part of the day Thursday, the first day of classes in Greenfield. After learning of the test result, the district enacted its "Positive COVID-19 Test Protocol," including isolating the student at the junior high school's clinic and using the student's schedule to determine which students or staff with whom they may have come in close contact. That included transportation and extracurricular activities.

One six-grader at the school told the TV station, "I wanted to go back to school, because with quarantine, we couldn't see our friends as much.”

A fourth-grader added, "I like going to school more, because I think the computer, when you get on it, it feels like when you're at home, that’s more of your comfort space where you usually don't have to do all that work, like look at a screen or get out books. I think it’s easier to stay on track when you’re at the school."

Only 15 percent of families, just over 600 students, opted to stay home for remote learning. Greenfield families could choose in-person or online classes for their children. But the commitment was for a full semester.