Pascack Hills reports positive Covid-19 test
“The Department of Health has indicated that Pascack Hills High School may resume in-person learning on Friday, November 20,” Gundersen said. He added that after school activities may resume this afternoon.
Less than an hour before class, an individual at Hills reported a positive Covid-19 test to the district.
Thursday, Nov. 19 at 1:01 p.m.
Pascack Hills to resume in-person instruction on Nov. 20
Pascack Hills will resume in-person instruction tomorrow, Nov. 20, Superintendent Erik Gundersen announced in a district-wide email. The school began fully remote instruction on Nov. 18 after a positive Covid-19 test was reported. Since then, a contact tracing investigation has allowed all close contacts to be notified and quarantined for “a number of days specified by the Department of Health.”
“The Department of Health has indicated that Pascack Hills High School may resume in-person learning on Friday, November 20,” Gundersen said. He added that after school activities may resume this afternoon.
Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 6:14 p.m.
Pascack Hills to remain fully remote on Nov. 19
Based on the recommendation of health officials and ongoing contact tracing regarding a positive Covid-19 test reported this moring, Pascack Hills will remain fully remote Nov. 19. In his email, Superintendent Erik Gundersen said the school was alerted to an “individual testing positive at about 7:45 this morning, prompting the abrupt change to remote learning to allow for proper contact tracing.”
Hills will follow an A1 schedule tomorrow. “To keep our community safe and our schools open, it is crucial that our nursing staff is immediately notified when staff and students test positive for COVID-19,” Gundersen added.
Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 8:12 a.m.
Pascack Hills reports positive Covid-19 test
An individual at Pascack Hills reported a positive Covid-19 test this morning, Superintendent Erik Gundersen announced in a district-wide email. Some students and staff were already in the building before class when the test was reported, and Principal Tim Wieland went on the loudspeaker to tell students to arrange for transportation home.
Due to the positive case prompting a contact tracing investigation, Hills will be fully remote today, Nov. 18, and follow a B5 schedule. All in-person extracurricular activities scheduled in-person today are also canceled.
“Just a few moments ago, we were informed that an individual at Pascack Hills High School has tested positive for COVID-19. In response and following the recommendation of local health officials, Pascack Hills will be fully remote today (Wednesday, November 18),” said Gundersen in his email. “This measure is being taken so that contact tracing can begin, allowing for proper identification and notification of those who may have been exposed.”
Gundersen said an update will be provided later today with more information. “We understand the timing of this complicates commuting and schedules for families and staff,” he acknowledged. “[H]owever, the health and safety oour community is the most important goal for our district, leading us to this decision.”
Previously, there was one Covid-19 case reported at Hills on Oct. 19 and a second, unrelated case reported on Oct. 24. The school went fully remote from Oct. 26 to Nov. 5, reopening for in-person instruction on Nov. 9.
Jared Mitovich joined the Trailblazer his freshman year as a staff writer. He has helped manage the Trailblazer's social media since his sophomore year, and in his junior year he edited the Opinion section. Now in his final year of high school, Mitovich is looking forward to working with Mackenzie Blowers as Editor-in-Chief along with the entire Trailblazer staff. You can follow him on Twitter at @jmitovich!
Fun fact: Mitovich once met a presidential candidate.
