Dear Shrewsbury Families,
The message below was just sent to Shrewsbury High School families. Out of transparency, we are also sharing it with all Shrewsbury Public Schools families for your information.
Respectfully,
Joe Sawyer
Superintendent of Schools
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Dear Shrewsbury High School Families,
We are communicating with you to inform you that earlier today we were notified that a member of the SHS staff has tested positive for COVID-19. This staff member did not have symptoms, but reported that they had voluntarily been tested out of caution due to circumstances unrelated to employment at SHS.
Upon receiving this report, the staff member immediately went home and will not return until it is deemed safe for them to be back to work. We will provide support for our colleague as needed with the hope that they remain asymptomatic. In consultation with the medical staff of the Central Massachusetts Regional Public Health Alliance (who provides public health services to the Town of Shrewsbury), it was subsequently determined that this staff member has not had any interactions with students or other staff that would be considered close contacts that require follow up, but in transparency we are informing the entire school community about this situation.
Our students and staff have been closely adhering to the safety protocols we have in place to mitigate the possible spread of COVID-19 at school, including wearing masks, hand washing/sanitizing, and maintaining physical distancing. Further, per our already established procedures, high touch surfaces are disinfected throughout the day, other surfaces are disinfected each night, and each school undergoes a deep disinfecting cleaning twice per week, (including this evening since today is Wednesday).
Because of the protocols we have in place to mitigate against the spread of the virus, and because of the nature of this case, school will be held at Shrewsbury High School tomorrow on its regular schedule (Cohorts A and C, early release day). This news of a positive case reminds us all why it is so very important for all of us to continue to follow safety protocols both at school and outside of school.
We are committed to providing timely and transparent communication with all of the members of our school community regarding any issues related to COVID-19 that affect our schools. If you have questions or concerns, you may contact us: Joe Sawyer, Superintendent of Schools, at jsawyer@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us; Todd Bazydlo, Principal, at tbazydlo@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us; or Noelle Freeman, Director of School Nursing, at nfreeman@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us.
Respectfully,
Joe Sawyer Todd Bazydlo Noelle Freeman
Superintendent of Schools Principal, SHS Director of School Nursing