MADEIRA, Ohio — Ten Madeira Elementary students and a staff member were allowed to return to school following a first grade student's false positive COVID-19 test, the district's superintendent announced to families.
A first grade student's family learned of the initial positive test on Monday and informed school officials, but subsequent follow-up tests were determined to be negative, according to Madeira City Schools Superintendent Kenji Matsudo.
The students and close contacts were limited to one first-grade classroom, and the other students and staff member identified as "close contacts" have since been allowed to return to school.
"A special shout out to all of our Madeira students who are overwhelmingly doing everything we are asking of them throughout the school day," Matsudo wrote in a message to families. "Equally so, we should be thankful for our amazing teachers and staff who are working hard to keep the magic going in our classrooms. Finally, a special thank you to our Madeira families for your gracious attitudes, thoughtful messages, and for remembering to keep our Madeira Promise as we go through these challenging times."
Matsudo also reminded parents and guardians to monitor themselves and their children for coronavirus symptoms before leaving for school. Those symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, aches, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
Earlier this month, all eighth-graders at Madeira Middle School moved to remote learning plans from Sept. 4-18. Those students were allowed to return to classrooms Monday.
Eight students and a staff member at Maderia High School had to quarantine earlier this month after contact tracing showed that they had been in close contact with a student who tested positive for COVID-19.
For more information on Madeira's back-to-school plans and efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 in schools through the Madeira HealthWatch Assessment Team, click here.
