Decatur, GA — City Schools of Decatur’s first week back in the classroom since March ended with a notification to parents at Talley Street Upper Elementary that a COVID-19 exposure forced some students there to quarantine.

“The principal at Talley Street was notified today that a person in the school has tested positive for COVID-19. Per our protocols, contact tracing began immediately, and parents and staff identified as close contacts were notified,” City Schools of Decatur spokesperson Courtney Burnett said. “A class and pod were quarantined. The school community has been notified, and the dashboard will be updated once reporting is complete with the Department of Health.”

People affected by the exposure will need to quarantine for 10 days before returning to class. Here’s a notice that went out to parents with children in classrooms that were not affected by the exposure.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

With the health and well-being of our students and staff at the forefront of our decisions, I am writing to inform you that an individual in our school community has a probable or confirmed case of COVID-19. Those who have been identified as a “close contact” have received a personal notification with further instructions from the school.

Unless you have been otherwise notified, your child has NOT been identified as a close contact and is not required to quarantine at home or to be tested. A close contact is someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to test specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.

In accordance with the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Administrative Order, all students and/or staff who are considered a “close contact” have been notified and will be required to quarantine for 10 days before returning to school.

The school’s custodial team will be working closely with CSD’s Facilities Department to thoroughly clean, and disinfect the classroom with an electrostatic sprayer.

Parents should continue to monitor their students each day for symptoms of COVID-19 which could include fever, loss of taste or smell, headache, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, sore throat, fatigue, congestion or runny nose, body aches and/or nausea. If your child develops COVID-19 symptoms, please contact your child’s healthcare provider as soon as possible. Please contact the school if your child tests positive for COVID-19.

Thank you for your support of Talley Street’s students and staff. Please contact us at 470-283-7340 or email me at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Billy Heaton

Principal

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