Copper River School District Reports First Staff Member With COVID-19 Nine Days Before School Due To Start

As Schools, Colleges & Summer Camps Battle Outbreaks Of Cornavirus, Copper River School District Reports First Staff Case On August 17th

  Other Staff Members Possibly Exposed & In Quarantine

 The Copper River School District has a reported case of a positive case of COVID-19 on staff. We are following our protocol recommended by Alaska's Department of Health & Social Services when an employee is known to be positive. They are currently in isolation. There are staff members who have possibly been in close contact and now in quarantine. At this time, opening day of school is set for August 26. Any changes in risk level will be determined early next week. 

--Therese Ashton, CRSD Superintendent

Although the Copper River School District has yet to begin classes (they'll start on August 26th) the CRSD Superintendent of Schools, Therese Ashton, wrote to the Country Journal on Monday, August 17th. She said that one staff member has contracted the disease, and others on the CRSD staff are being quarantined due to close contact with the ill person. 

Worrisome reports from all over America have been coming in for weeks as children and staff at summer camps, schools, overnights and now colleges have fallen ill due to major outbreaks of COVID-19.  

A Kansas teacher recently began combing through all the news stories about schools where coronavirus was being transmitted. The teacher began making a Google spreadsheet for each state. She already had over 700 entries by the middle of August. 

As of August 17th, Alaska didn't have any listings yet. The teacher said she started the spreadsheet only 10 days ago just to try and be useful. It's the only tracking system that currently exists.

SEE THE GOOGLE SPREADSHEET OF NATIONAL SCHOOL CLOSINGS HERE