It has come to our attention that there was a student in the Hinsdale Elementary School who has tested positive for COVID-19. This student has not been in the Elementary School since Friday, February 12th. Immediately upon the discovery of this positive case, all students in the elementary were held in place in their classrooms as a safety precaution until they were released from school. The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services was notified right away and is managing all contact tracing with the help of our staff. All students and staff that had been in close contact on Friday have been notified.
The School Board continues to closely monitor the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the ever-changing recommendations and guidelines. Our goal is, as it has always been, to provide the best education possible to our students while making every effort to protect the safety of the entire school community. We have made a change to the remote learning policy as it pertains to a positive COVID test result of an in-class learner or staff member. Only the school in which the positive case was reported will immediately transition to 10 days of remote learning. This is a change in the previous policy in that the entire district will not transition to remote but only the affected school; the elementary or the middle/high school. The other buildings on the school campus will remain open with in-class learning as normal.
Therefore, the Hinsdale Elementary School will be remote on Thursday and Friday of this week. Students will be back in class on Monday March 1, 2021. All Hinsdale Middle High School students will report to school as scheduled.
We anticipate that there will be additional changes to our COVID policies. The School Board will be presented with additional and updated information from the administration to be discussed at the March board meeting. We will, of course, update the school community on any additional changes made at that time.
With February vacation approaching we want to remind everyone of the school district travel policy. If you or anyone in your home travels outside of the New England states of New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, you are required to self-quarantine for 10 days, starting the day they return to New Hampshire.
If anyone in your home received a COVID-19 test due to symptoms or exposure to the virus, you must inform the school nurse. If you have received a COVID-19 test and are awaiting results you must notify the school nurse. Proof of a negative test must be provided, in writing, before you may return to school.
We will continue to maintain open communication with the community and understand that this is a difficult time for everyone involved. Thank you to the entire community for your continued support and for keeping the safety and wellbeing of the staff and students, as well as the education of the students in Hinsdale everyone’s top priority.