January 19, 2021 4:00 a.m.

There is a confirmed positive COVID-19 case at East Primary School in Sutherlin.

Superintendent Terry Prestianni said the Sutherlin School District is working closely with the Douglas Public Health Network to respond to the news and to protect the health of its staff, students and community.

Prestianni said staff has begun the process of notifying parents of the children in the cohort affected, asking them to quarantine for 14 days and monitor for symptoms. Out of an abundance of caution, all first-grade students at East Primary will be at home on Tuesday. Prestianni said not all first graders are in quarantine. In-person instruction will continue for the students and staff that are not in the first-grade classrooms. Beginning on Wednesday, students in the cohort affected will stay home and transition to distance learning.

Prestianni said the district will follow and maintain the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Department of Education guidelines including practicing handwashing, physical distancing to the degree possible, requiring people to wear masks inside the buildings, and upholding cleaning and disinfecting protocols.

Those with concerns or questions about COVID-19, should call the Douglas Public Health Network at 464-6550 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. seven days a week.