October 23, 2020
Dear Parent, Staff, and Community Member:
Today the District was informed of a positive test for COVID-19 for a high school student who attends both our school and the Questar III Rensselaer Career and Technical Educational Center in Troy. As per New York State Education Department and New York State Department of Health guidelines, the District took immediate steps to isolate the situation and work collaboratively with the Rensselaer County Department of Health and Questar III BOCES. The District is working closely with the County DOH and following all guidance provided by them. (read more about contacts of a confirmed case here). They will take the lead role in any further steps that may be necessary such as additional testing of individuals or contact tracing. In the event you are contacted by a representative of the County DOH or the District, we encourage you to offer your complete cooperation. This is a critical step in stopping the spread of COVID in our community.
The District has designed protocols that allow us to identify any students or staff that interacted with this student during the contact tracing time identified by Rensselaer Co Department of Health. As soon as the student exhibited mild symptoms they were immediately sent home and had subsequent testing as per our protocols. This includes in the classroom or on District Transportation. This is in conjunction with the other protocols we have in place such as long lasting anti-microbial spray and daily disinfecting. At the direction of the Rensselaer Co Department of Health, the school will continue to function as normal and will not close. If there is another direct impact on you such as transportation or your own child’s class(es), you will be contacted by the District. While I fully understand you would like additional details, we are not permitted by privacy laws to identify the student involved. We have provided as much information as possible. Anyone with questions and/or who needs to report a COVID-19 related health issue should contact the district’s COVID-19 Resource Person at (COVIDreporting@brunswickcsd.org).
In these challenging times, rest assured that the District’s priority is protecting the health, welfare, and safety of students and staff while complying with any government orders and guidance related to the opening of schools.
Please remain vigilant with your health and safety protocols. This includes our daily health screening, masks and social distancing. I appreciate your understanding of the situation.
Sincerely,
Dr. Angelina Maloney Superintendent of Brunswick CSD