With two Prescott High School students testing positive with COVID-19, the Prescott High School moved to its hybrid model effective this week for at least 15 days.

“We will be in eh Hybrid Model for at least 15 school days to provide adequate time for quarantining and to drive down community spready of COVID,” a letter sent to parents from high school principal Josh Fiege stated.

Parents were alerted Wednesday about one case but no immediate decision to move to the Hybrid Model was made at that time.

The school announced Friday: “At approximately 4:00pm this afternoon (9/11/20) Prescott High School learned from a parent report (which was confirmed at 6:20 pm by Pierce County Public Health) that a second student at the high school has tested positive for COVID-19. Due to these circumstances, Prescott High School will be shifting to a Hybrid Model next week starting Tuesday. Monday will be a non-instructional day for students as our teachers prepare for this shift. Starting Tuesday we will have the Red Group (last names A-L) on-site, while Blue Group (last names M-Z) will stay home and login virtually. Please read the attached_letter_for more information.”

Fiege’s letter states, “The student who has tested positive has been on site this week during their infectious period. Pierce County Public Health completes all contact tracing and are the primary point of communication in instances like this. The individual who has tested positive will be excluded from school until they have been determined to no longer be infectious by their local health department. Close contacts–those students and staff who have been within six feet of the positive individual for a period of 15 minutes or greater-are determined by local health departments and school district staff. The students and staff who interacted closely with the positive individual are being contacted by Pierce County Public Health. Close contacts will be excluded from school for 14 days from their last date of exposure to the positive individual and will be monitored for symptoms by their local health department. The local health department has sent out all close contact emails this evening, so those in question have been notified. “ “The school district will spend additional time cleaning and disinfecting the school this weekend, especially those rooms where the infected individual spends time during the day,” according to Fiege.

Students were told to stay home Monday but the school was open for them to pick up belonging or educational supplies. The day was set aside for teachers to move into the Hybrid Model.

Students in 4K through eighth grade will continue in-person schooling as usual.