October 9, 2020 11:00 a.m.

A student at South Umpqua High School has tested positive for COVID-19.

Superintendent Kate McLaughlin of the South Umpqua School District said staff is working closely with the Douglas Public Health Network to respond to the news and protect the health of the community.

McLaughlin said SUSD is taking steps to ensure the safety of all students and staff. She said as soon as DPHN informed them of the positive test, they began notifying staff and parents of the children in the cohort, letting them know about the situation and asking them to quarantine for 14 days and monitor for symptoms. McLaughlin said quarantine guidance was provided and parents of exposed children were told that someone from DPHN will be in daily phone contact to provide additional monitoring.

McLaughlin said staff will continue to follow and maintain the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Department of Education guidelines such as practicing handwashing, physical distancing to the degree possible, requiring people to wear face masks inside the building, and upholding cleaning and disinfecting protocols.

The district release said at this time, in-person learning will resume for the students and staff who are not quarantined.

McLaughlin said, “We understand families are concerned. We will keep families and the school community updated with any new information as it becomes available, while meeting the requirements to honor everyone’s right to privacy”.