Dear Parents and Guardians,
On Wednesday, November 18, 2020, the district learned that two individuals in the Galway Central School District tested positive for COVID-19. The individuals were last in the school building on Tuesday, November 17, 2020. The individuals are now in quarantine and will have to recover, pass a COVID test, and be cleared by the Department of Health before returning to school.
The district is assisting the County Department of Health with contact tracing efforts using logs and attendance records. If your child was in close proximity to these individuals for a certain period of time, the County Department of Health will contact you directly.
If the individuals were symptomatic while in the school setting, the areas in which they had contact will be quarantined for 24-hours before the cleaning process will take place. All staff have been notified of the quarantined areas.
The district has been following all the proper protocols for daily temperature checks, physical distancing, mask wearing, and hand washing, but as an added measure of precaution, please monitor your child(ren) for any symptoms of COVID, which can be found on the CDC website.
Please note that The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other privacy laws restrict us from disclosing or confirming any personally identifiable information. We cannot identify anyone who has tested positive.
Since the start of the school year, the district has been thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting all buildings on campus, in accordance with guidance from the New York State Department of Health and the CDC. More information can be found in the cleaning and disinfecting section of the reopening plan.
The safety of our students, faculty, and staff continues to be our top priority. Therefore, in consultation with the Saratoga County Department of Health, the Galway Central School District K-12 will pivot to remote learning for tomorrow, Thursday, November 19, 2020. During this time we will work with contact tracers to identify individuals who may need to quarantine.
If you would like information about testing procedures, please call Saratoga County Public Health at 518-885-2276. If you would like to be tested out of an abundance of caution, please visit the New York State COVID-19 web page to find a testing location near you or talk with your healthcare provider.
Sincerely,
Dr. Brita Donovan
Superintendent