October 19, 2020
SYLVA, NC – On Monday, October 19, the Jackson County Department of Public Health identified a cluster of eight positive COVID-19 cases at Smokey Mountain Elementary School including four students and four staff members.
A “cluster” is defined by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services as five or more positive test results within a 14-day period and a plausible epidemiological linkage between cases.
Everyone who tested positive at Smokey Mountain Elementary School is in isolation and following guidance from health care professionals. The names of those who test positive cannot be released due to privacy laws.
The source of the infection is unknown, however contact tracing is underway by the Jackson County Department of Public Health. School staff will receive COVID-19 testing at Harris Regional Hospital on Wednesday, October 21.
Out of an abundance of caution, instruction at the school has been transitioned to remote-only for the remainder of the week. The district’s eight other schools will continue on their current schedule, but students who are associated with an identified virus cluster or live in the same household with someone who tests positive will be quarantined and moved temporarily to remote learning.
A decision about returning to face-to-face instruction at Smokey Mountain Elementary School will be made on Friday, October 23 after officials receive updates on contact tracing and virus testing.
Assistant Superintendent Jacob Buchanan is not surprised that the virus found its way into the district’s classrooms.
“Our schools are a reflection of the community, and there is spread going on throughout the region,” Buchanan said. “As a school district, we have a responsibility to ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep everyone healthy and safe.”
Indeed, upon discovering the COVID-19 cluster at Smokey Mountain Elementary School, the district took immediate steps to mitigate the spread of the virus. The school building is being disinfected, and additional resources will be deployed for deep cleaning. Staff at the school are working from home, and the School Nutrition Department is moving quickly to make sure meals are available for students while they are learning remotely.
Despite the week’s surge in positive cases, Jackson County Public Schools continues to maintain a lower infection rate than the surrounding area. Buchanan credits the district’s commitment to following the safety guidelines recommended by health professionals.
“We are requiring masks, we have regular handwashing intervals and we are doing the best we can to maintain social distance,” Buchanan said. “We believe with the measures we are taking, students are still less likely to contract COVID-19 in our schools than they are in the community at large.”
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