Infections to keep Southwood's campus closed for another week

Southwood Elementary School will remain closed for another week because of additional coronavirus infections, according to the Pine Bluff School District administration. 
(Pine Bluff Commercial/Byron Tate)
Southwood Elementary School will remain closed for another week because of additional coronavirus infections, according to the Pine Bluff School District administration. (Pine Bluff Commercial/Byron Tate)

Southwood Elementary School will remain closed to in-person classes until Oct. 12 after several staff members and a few students contracted the coronavirus.

Pine Bluff School District Superintendent Barbara Warren announced Sept. 24 that Southwood would be closed starting Sept. 25 because of coronavirus infections among staff members. The school planned to reopen Monday, but will delay opening another week, according to a letter Friday from Warren.

"We have been blessed that a minimal number of students were affected, with only one student currently positive," Warren said. "However, we have had a number of positive cases among our staff. We are continuing our efforts to make sound decisions regarding the safety of our students and staff."

Warren thanked patrons for their patience during the closing of Southwood this week. Southwood won't have face-to-face instruction next week and will continue to operate with only virtual instruction.

"This will apply only to the Southwood campus. All other campuses will be open for instruction. Southwood will resume face-to-face instruction on Oct. 12, 2020," Warren said.

The superintendent expects that teachers and students still will be engaged in teaching and learning activities.

"During this time, we will continue our ongoing sanitizing efforts and extend our evaluation of the air filtration system. We want to do all we can to make certain that Southwood is safe," she said.

Warren assured patrons Monday that matters were under control, saying that the district was collaborating closely with the Department of Health and adhering to strict guidelines for confirmed cases and determining probable close contacts.

"There is a process and anytime that we have an active case there is a protocol we follow that the Department of Health has in place," Warren said in an article Tuesday in the Commercial. "We talk to any and everybody that we are supposed to and we enter that information into the [Health Department] database."

Over the weekend, the district discovered more confirmed positives as a result of contact tracing, according to the article.

Meanwhile, Southwood parents are urged to contact their children's teachers as soon as possible if their students don't have access to computers, are having technical difficulties or challenges with connectivity. The district wants to ensure that all students have access to their learning tools.

Parents should expect communication from the principal and teachers about next steps for supporting the students.

Also, the lunch pickup location will change for Southwood face-to-face students. Those students will join the regular elementary virtual students for meal pickups on the Belair School campus. The schedule for elementary meal pickup is Monday and Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Student will pick up meals for two days on Monday and three days of meals on Wednesday.

"We know this is a trying time for everyone. Please know that we are not taking these major decisions lightly. We stay committed to the safety of our students and staff. Openness and transparency are priorities in our communication with you. Thanks again for your continued support and patience," Warren said.

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