We are deeply disappointed to announce that effective immediately, we will be closing Waitsburg Elementary School to in-person learning and switching to remote learning for the remainder of the school year. All students in preschool through 5th grade will switch to remote learning from home effective Tuesday, June 1st through the remainder of the school year. (The last day of school in Waitsburg is June 15th.)
This closure comes after a drastic increase in COVID cases in Waitsburg elementary students and staff, resulting in multiple exposures and close contacts. On May 25th we announced that our entire second grade class would need to quarantine due to two positive cases and multiple close contacts. Since then, we have been informed of additional positive cases in 1 staff member and 7 students. (You can find our district’s current case count on our COVID Dashboard at www.waitsburgsd.org/page/dashboard.)
In our small community and with students having siblings in other grade levels, these positive cases could quickly have a much larger impact. We are urging all families to follow COVID health requirements by staying home when sick and adhering to quarantine expectations. If you are not feeling well and/or have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, do not come to school. Anyone who has been asked to quarantine should stay home, separate themselves from others, and continue monitoring their symptoms.
Elementary teachers will be in contact with students/families about lesson plans and expectations for the final weeks of school. Please make sure to check your child’s grade level Class Tag or Google Classroom on Tuesday, June 1st. We will provide further information and updates next week.