Madison Schools Community,
We are writing to share that Madison Public Schools has been notified of a possible COVID-19 case within our school community. This message is being shared to provide information and to ensure that our school community members understand the district process for responding to such cases.
It was recently reported to our school district that a member of the Central Avenue School community has tested positive for COVID-19. While this case has not yet been confirmed by the NJDOH, we are proceeding with the assumption that this is a positive case. Based on the circumstances, NJDOH does not recommend school closure.
Community members should be aware that this individual will not be physically present in school until they meet NJDOH criteria for return. For reasons of privacy, the school will not be providing class-level or individual-level notifications regarding this matter. NJDOH contact tracers will directly reach out to any individuals that may have experienced close contact and will advise those individuals and the school accordingly.
This is an important time to remind everyone that our health and safety procedures are designed to ensure that while in school, individuals should not experience close contact. As a reminder, "close contact" is defined as being "within 6 feet of a confirmed case of COVID-19 for at least 10 minutes" without a mask, divider or other protection in place. When school safety procedures are followed, including mask wearing, distancing, hand washing and surface cleaning, cose contact should not occur and transmission risk will be kept to a minimum.
If you have any further questions regarding our safety procedures, cleaning protocols, responses to positive cases, or any other topics, please consider the following:
- The NJDOH Guidance for K-12 Schools (see pages 13-15) provides full guidance for how schools should respond to multiple scenarios.
- The MPS Reopening Plan provides detailed information about most aspects of our reopening, including safety procedures, cleaning protocols, HVAC treatments, and our instructional models.
- Parents that wish to keep their child home for any reason should notify their child's school and teacher. The student should then participate in class remotely, if they are able. Any parent that wishes for their child to attend school on a full-time remote basis, may notify their principal.
- If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact your school principal, nurse or Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Frank Santora at santoraf@madisonnjps.org.
Remember, we are all in this together. Stay safe so that we can all stay strong.
Sincerely,
Mark Schwarz, Superintendent