District Provides Next Steps for those Who Came Into Contact with Infected Middle School Teacher and Guidance for the Community

The streets of Scarsdale were quiet on Monday after a case of Coronavirus shuttered all seven schools.Scarsdale is eerily quiet on Monday March 9, after the district announced that all seven schools would be shuttered until March 18. The closure was sparked by a report that a teacher at Scarsdale Middle School had tested positive for the virus during the weekend.

An email sent to the community on the afternoon of March 9 provides more details about the closing of schools, instructions for students and families and next steps for those who came into contact with the afflicted faculty member.

According to the email, the district is working with the Department of Health on health and safety, deep cleaning and disinfection as well as plans for the “continuation of learning.”

Specifically, “All students and staff who had close contact with the affected faculty member have now been contacted by the District. Additionally, those names and their contact information have been provided to the Westchester County DoH, at their request.

The DoH is in the process of contacting those people. The District has advised them that they will likely be told to self-quarantine and provided them with guidance to follow until they are contacted by DoH.

In addition to those who came into close contact, the faculty member also attended a faculty meeting and spent a short time in the cafeteria during Butler 7 lunch. Out of an abundance of caution, the DoH has asked us to provide the names of all faculty in attendance at the meeting and all students in Butler 7. We ask that these groups maintain social distancing and avoid contact with vulnerable populations until told otherwise by the DoH.”

This is the second incident directly affecting the Scarsdale community. On March 7 it was confirmed that a student who plays on the Scarsdale Youth Hockey Association middle school team had also tested positive. This student does not live in Scarsdale or attend the Scarsdale Schools. However he was in contact with teammates.

As a result, those teammates – and perhaps their families – have been asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Here is the text of that e-mail:

“The team members who played on the same SYHA team as the student who tested positive will be asked to quarantine for 14 days from their last encounter with the player. At this time, there are no students or staff in the Scarsdale Schools who have tested positive for COVID-19. The School District will work with the families involved to support them in any way possible. The Department of Health has given the families specific guidance as to how to implement these quarantines and how the rest of the family should travel and participate in day-to-day activities. The families will need the support of our entire community to help them through this time. We ask that all members of our community respect these families' privacy and encourage their children to do the same.”

At this time it is unclear how many players and families are affected. We also don’t know how many students and faculty members came into contact with the Middle School Teacher. But given the facts above, we can assume that many will soon be told to stay behind closed doors for 14 days.

An email to the police chief and mayor about the extent of the virus in Scarsdale received no response.

The email also recommends that residents practice “social distancing,” asking parents to

-Limit playdates/get-togethers and certainly any larger gatherings of students or students and adults;

-Not have students provide babysitting services to other students; and

-Not schedule practices for sports teams or meetings for any clubs.

All schools and buses are being cleaned and disinfected and teachers are working on e-learning plans so that students can continue their education at home.

In the meantime, the Superintendent asks students “to spend time engaging in passion-driven learning activities and use the time to engage in reading for pleasure.”

The email also provides links to NYS Department of Health guidelines for quarantines and guidelines for virus testing. 

Other Closings:
The closing of the Scarsdale Schools on March 9 has had a domino affect on other community organizations. Following the announcement, Westchester Reform Temple, which was closed during the weekend announced that they would also remain closed until March 18.

The nursery school, or Early Childhood Center, Jewish Learning Lab and Adult Education classes are cancelled. The Friday night Shabbat service will be available via livestream only.

However, bar and bat mitzvahs and funerals will be held. The synagogue will seat people farther away from one another and ask service goers to refrain from touching or kissing the Torah. Guests should be limited to close family.

The Reverend Pete Jones also announced that Hitchcock Church will be closed until March 18. This includes the office and all activities at Hitchcock are closed for the same time period. 

They will wait to make a final announcement later in the week about Sunday morning worship.