15 staff members at Pflugerville school quarantined due to COVID-19

Pflugerville ISD says 15 staff members at Kelly Lane Middle School are in quarantine after being exposed to a positive COVID-19 case.

This exposure rate has resulted in a staffing issue at the middle school and has prompted the school to have its 6th and 7th graders learn virtually for two weeks.

“We've obviously had cases before among staff and amongst students that requires quarantine for those who are close, but have not yet had to make us go into full virtual for grade level or on campus. This is the first time that's happened,” said Tamra Spence with Pflugerville ISD.

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Kelly Lane Middle School found out about the positive case Sunday. The district says the exposure happened both on and off-campus resulting in 15 staff members quarantining.

“We want to stress this move to virtual was not due to a large number of cases on Kelly Lane, but really due to the contact tracing that reduced our ability to provide adequate in-person instruction for those sixth and seventh graders,” said Spence.

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Kelly Lane’s sixth and seventh graders have been remote learning all this week and will continue to remote learn next week. 

Spence says this is standard protocol and the goal of the district is to do whatever it takes to prevent community spread and keep students and staff safe.

“Whenever we hear about any positive case, whether it's a student or staff member, we immediately begin our contact tracing protocols, we look at seating charts, we look at cameras, we interview the staff to find out where they've been, who they've been around, things like that to determine who is a direct contact as per CDC recommendations, and then we set up quarantine time for those,” she said.

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Here is what Kelly Lane Middle School Parents received: 

Dear Kelly Lane Families,

We are sorry for the late notice; however, today we were made aware of a positive COVID-19 case that, due to close contact tracing, has required the campus to send more staff than anticipated into quarantine. For the upcoming week (Dec. 7-11), all 6th and 7th-grade students will temporarily move to 100% remote instruction. 8th-grade staff members were not substantially impacted, and in-person learning for 8th-grade students will continue as usual.

The decision to move our students to 100% remote instruction is based on educational and health factors. I want to stress that this move to virtual is not due to an outbreak, but due to contact tracing that reduces our ability to provide adequate in-person instruction for our 6th and 7th-grade students. Virtually, we will be able to man the instruction at the appropriate level.

Students will follow their regular schedules, and should login and access their classes via Canvas. If your student needs assistance with access, please have them email their teacher.

Please continue to check your email later this week for additional updates.

Meal service will continue to be provided for Kelly Lane Middle School students who are in remote instruction. Please check the district's meal service website for information on meal pick up locations and times.

All 7th-grade athletics and fine arts events are suspended as well until students return in person.

While in remote instruction, please monitor your students for symptoms of COVID-19 and consult with your primary care provider should symptoms develop. If your child's test is confirmed as positive or you are suspected of having COVID-19, you may not return to campus until:

  • at least one day (24 hours) has passed since recovery (resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications);
  • the symptoms have improved (e.g., cough, shortness of breath);
  • ten days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

If your child has symptoms of possible COVID-19 illness and is not evaluated by a medical professional or tested for COVID-19, he/she may not return to the campus until completing the same three-step set of criteria listed above.

Please do not send your child to school if he/she falls into the categories listed above. Please contact your school nurse Katie Kunz at Katelyn.Kunz@pfisd.net if your child has been confirmed as having tested positive with COVID-19, even while they are in remote instruction as this could impact when they are able to return to campus.

If you have any questions or concerns, please visit the district's COVID-19 information page for resources, or feel free to reach out to us via Let's Talk! with any questions.

Again, I apologize for the late notice and the added stress this will put on our families. Our goal is to prevent community spread and most importantly keep our students and staff safe.

Sincerely,
Dr. Douglas Killian, Superintendent
Pflugerville ISD

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