2 "Presumed Positive" COVID Cases At Freehold Elementary School

Nicole Rosenthal
Updated ·2 min read

FREEHOLD, NJ - Just days before many students were slated to transition from an all-virtual schedule to a hybrid program, officials from Freehold Township Schools informed parents and guardians of two “presumed positive cases” detected within the school district.

In a Thursday letter (originally posted by the Asbury Park Press), Superintendent of Schools Neal Dickstein informed parents that two “presumed positive” cases were located at West Freehold School.

“According to the New Jersey Department of Health, a close contact is defined as any individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 10 minutes starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the person is isolated,” wrote Dickstein. “At this time, all close contacts have been notified by district staff. If you have not received a phone call from a district staff member, you are not deemed a close contact.”

All areas exposed to the presumed infected persons were cleaned and sanitized, according to the letter. It was not immediately clear whether the presumed infected individuals are students, teachers or staff.

Freehold Township Schools announced last month that the first two weeks of school (beginning on Sept. 8) would be conducted completely online. Students who enrolled for the district’s hybrid learning schedule are slated to begin in-person instruction on Sept. 21.

Related: Freehold Twp Schools: Remote-Only Classes For First 2 Weeks

Dickstein added that Monday’s transition to hybrid learning will not be affected by the two presumed positive cases.

“We want to assure families we are prepared to welcome students back next week. Our response to positive COVID test results and the cooperation of our West Freehold community will be essential to maintain a safe and healthy school environment,” the superintendent wrote.

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This article originally appeared on the Freehold Patch