A parent knowingly sent their child to school two days after receiving confirmation of a positive COVID test, exposing more than 80 students to the virus on the first day of school, according to the Washoe County Health District.
Families of children who may have been exposed at the Marce Herz Middle School in southwest Reno, Nevada, were notified in a message from the school’s principal Brandon Bringhurst on Monday night, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.
“Out of an abundance of caution and due to possible exposure to COVID-19, your student must be in quarantine at home, per Washoe County Health District guidelines,” the message reads.
The names of the student, parent and other exposed people were not released.
The health district said Monday that the parent had also tested positive for COVID and “refused to communicate” with the school.
Unvaccinated students sent home may return to school if they tests negative for COVID-19 after five days of quarantine and are free of symptoms. Fully vaccinated students may return to school if they are free of symptoms and bring their vaccination records for validation by a school nurse, the district said.
“We are asking everyone, especially parents with children in Washoe County schools, to please cooperate with disease investigators regarding positive COVID-19 cases,” the health district said in a statement. “It’s imperative that we collect information from positive cases in order to reduce transmission in the community.”