If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, Norwalk Public Schools (NPS) follows strict, state mandated protocols and guidelines in order to keep members of our community safe.
These protocols include contact and exposure tracing, self-quarantines, sanitization, and consultations with the local health department and medical director.
NPS Chief of Operations Frank Costanzo is the district's COVID-19 Health and Safety Compliance Liaison. Below are some of the most common questions he and NPS have heard from families recently.
Question: When there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 at a school, does that mean that the entire school closes?
Dr. Costanzo: For the most part, a confirmed COVID-19 case in a school building does not require that the entire school close. Contact tracing protocols identify anyone who has been in close contact, for an extended period of time, with someone who has been confirmed positive for COVID-19, and direct him or her to self-quarantine. Therefore, only the affected staff members and students will be required to quarantine for a 14-day period.
If a large number of staff are affected and there is a challenge in providing substitute teachers, the school may temporarily close and shift to virtual learning. In most cases, the building remain open after it has been thoroughly sanitized.
Question: How are decisions made once a positive case has been confirmed?
Dr. Costanzo: Once a case has been confirmed, Dr. Estrella will work closely with the director of the Norwalk Health Department, as well as our medical advisor, Dr. Norman Weinberger. Contact tracing will begin immediately to identify who had close contact with the individual. Based on that information, decisions will be made about who will be directed to self-quarantine and what areas of the school need to be deep cleaned.
Question: What is the contact tracing process?
Dr. Costanzo: The Norwalk Health Department identifies anyone who has been in close contact with the person who tested positive. Per the Centers for Disease Control, a close contact is defined as any individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated. Following this process, NPS Health Services contacts those who may have been exposed.
Any students who have been identified through contact or exposure tracing will be directed to their health care provider and may return to the school after a self-quarantine period of 14 days.
Question: If contract and exposure tracing shows that a student has been exposed, how will this person be notified?
Dr. Costanzo: If a student is confirmed positive, those who were identified through contact and exposure tracing will be notified via phone call from an NPS Health Services representative.