Summit Middle School Student Tests Positive For Coronavirus

Caren Lissner
Updated ·5 min read

SUMMIT, NJ — Summit Superintendent of Schools Scott Hough announced Thursday — nine days after schools reopened — that a Summit Middle School student tested positive for coronavirus.

He wrote in a letter to the "Summit Community" Thursday night that the student at Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School is "currently self-isolating" and that public health officials are conducting contact tracing to find out who may have been exposed to the student.

In a letter obtained by Patch, Hough wrote:

<blockquote>

Dear Summit Community,
The purpose of this letter is to inform you that a student at Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently self-isolating. The District is working closely with public health officials, who are conducting contact tracing and will communicate directly with those individuals who may have been exposed to this student. The Department of Health will advise those families accordingly. Please be aware that because of student confidentiality, we cannot provide additional information.
Any student, staff member, or other individual who experiences symptoms associated with COVID-19 should contact their health care provider immediately. If you have any questions, please call NJ COVID-19 & Poison Center Public Hotline at 1-800-962-1253 or 1-800-222-1222 or visit www.cdc.gov or www.nj.gov/health.
As a reminder, the Center for Disease Control always recommends everyday preventive actions to limit the spread of respiratory viruses, including:
● Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.
● Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
● Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
● Stay home when you are sick.
● Wear an appropriate face covering.
As always, we appreciate our community’s support and cooperation. You can assist us by remaining vigilant, but sensible in your approach in dealing with this health concern. We recognize that a positive COVID-19 case so early in the school year is unsettling. We are hopeful that the mitigation measures we have in place, such as the universal masking, barriers on student desks, and other precautions, will have their intended effect and reduce or minimize the risk of transmission in the school environment. Thank you for your ongoing patience and flexibility.
Be well,
Scott D. Hough

Donna Gallo, Principal, Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School

</blockquote>

The Summit schools reopened for students on Sept. 1. They are among the minority of districts in New Jersey that are offering in-school education to younger students five days a week (single session with no lunch), and also offer it to the middle and high school students on alternating days.

Students may also choose remote education, but the majority of parents surveyed in the district wanted their students to return on-site.

Summit has had a relatively low rate of the virus. In fact, the town recorded fewer than 10 new cases in the month-long period before school opened, and fewer than 250 since the pandemic began. Read the statistics in Summit here.

To be the first to get news alerts with breaking stories in Summit, or to get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.

The Summit district is not alone in contending with the virus after school has opened. On Thursday, Chatham announced its schools would have to go all-virtual for the rest of the week after a case was reported. East Brunswick announced on the second day of school that a student was exposed to coronavirus, and his contacts — and their siblings — would have to isolate for 14 days.

In New Jersey, 388 districts are opening with hybrid plans where students can attend part of the day, 238 are all remote, and only 60 are offering full-time in person.

While most children who test positive for coronavirus will recover from it, they can spread it to others. Some have lost a parent, both parents, teachers, or siblings.

Board meeting and calendar

The updated school calendar is on the Summit school website, listing upcoming religious holidays and an in-service day on Oct. 19. The annual teachers' union convention is listed for Nov. 5 and 6, although it will be remote this year.

In the district's reopening plan:

  • Students in grades 5 and under can attend single-session days (no lunch) five days a week.

  • Older students attend every other day in A/B cohorts, also single-session.

  • As in all New Jersey districts, families could also choose full-time remote education.

Parents were required to fill out a form last week that "confirms that children will be screened at home each day for a fever (100.4 or above) and/or COVID-19 symptoms (listed below) and that parents will keep students at home when sick." The form can be found here.

The Summit district released its final reopening plan in mid-summer, then revised the plan to eliminate five-day on-site learning for sixth graders and older due to new state health guidelines, changing it to alternate days. A link to the most updated letter from new Superintendent Scott Hough is here.

Statewide, residents are encouraged to social distance, wear masks in public places, and limit most indoor gatherings to 25 people.

Local coronavirus statistics

  • More than 190,000 Americans have now died of coronavirus, and more than 5.6 million have tested positive.

  • More than 900 health care workers have died of the virus nationally. Others are simultaneously fighting misinformation as they try to fight the virus.

  • A viral social media post was removed from Twitter last week that misstated that only 9,000 people died from the virus. The confusion stemmed from the fact that people who died of the virus also were confirmed to have died from pneumonia caused by the virus, and other factors.

Here are statewide coronavirus resources:

  • NJ COVID-19 Information Hub: https://covid19.nj.gov/

  • General COVID-19 questions: 2-1-1

  • NJ COVID-19 hotline: (800) 222-1222

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. To be the first to get news alerts with breaking stories in Summit, or to get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.

This article originally appeared on the Summit Patch