Will CNY schools shut down if a student gets the coronavirus? A look at the rules - syracuse.com

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Syracuse, N.Y. — It’s the question on every parent’s mind: What happens if there’s a positive COVID-19 case in my child’s classroom? Will everyone quarantine? Will the school shut down? The whole district?

Dr. Indu Gupta, Onondaga County health commissioner, talked with The Post-Standard | Syracuse.com about what is likely to happen when someone has a confirmed case of the coronavirus in a school this fall.

Gupta says parents should feel confident sending their children for in-person instruction knowing the school district, county and state health departments will be doing “everything in their power to protect” the students, teachers and staff.

“Cases are going to happen,’' Gupta said. “I have told superintendents, ’you will have a case.’ You can do every single thing in the world, but people live in the real world. They live in communities, and things will happen.”

There’s no single solution when a case is confirmed, but Gupta outlined what she expects will happen.

If a student in a classroom — seated, wearing a mask and spaced six feet apart — gets the virus it’s likely the entire class would be quarantined in the beginning of the school year, she said.

“Initially, we will err on the side of caution,’' she said.

If the county is too soft on its response, there could be an outbreak, she said.

It’s possible a class or a wing or a section might be shut down if there is a case, but entire school districts won’t close if there is one case, Gupta said.

“There is no reason to do that,’' she said. “We have learned a lot in the past six months. We don’t do that anymore for any other place.”

However, districts can decide to shut down a school if they choose. They can be more restrictive than the county but not less, she said.

As kids learn what is expected of them — to stay seated, socially distant and wear a mask properly ― and teacher and students are more comfortable, the county may be less restrictive, she said.

At that point, who is quarantined will depend more on that specific situation. The teacher, child and likely some classmates will be interviewed to determine if the child was wearing a mask, coughed or sneezed, moved around or left for the restroom, she said.

The approach will be the same with a teacher who gets COVID-19.

If a teacher had a mask on and was checking his or her temperature every day, had no symptoms and stayed in front of the class without moving, that’s a different scenario than if she took her mask off and was moving around, Gupta said.

When someone gets the virus and is identified, the county case investigators will start the process of interviews — with the teacher, the parents, other kids. They will trace the child’s path and who they came in contact with to determine whether there was significant exposure, Gupta said.

“We need to know what happened and so we talk to the teacher and see if the child was following all the rules,’' she said. “If we are getting a mixed picture of what happened, we will be stricter. That’s because we want to do no harm, and protect everybody.

“If we get a half-story, and the teacher is unsure, everybody is quarantined,’' she said. “If there is a small number of kids and they are far apart and wearing masks, probably not everyone is quarantined.”

The investigator will talk to the teacher and parents to determine the reliability of the child as well, Gupta said.

“That’s because so many people’s lives can be impacted,’‘ she said.

Dr. Jana Shaw, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, said if health investigators can determine kids with the virus were wearing masks and six feet apart, they wouldn’t be considered a significant exposure risk to other and likely wouldn’t need to quarantine the class.

A “significant exposure” typically means an encounter lasting at least 10 minutes without masks, she said. But she said she defers to the county on what schools should do.

Some school districts ― a teachers’ union estimated about 30 percent statewide — are not requiring children wear masks when they are seated and six feet apart in the classroom receiving instruction.

Gupta said the practice of not requiring masks in a classroom will mean those children are much more likely to be quarantined if a case is confirmed in their classroom. She recommends masks be worn at all times because kids move frequently.

How schools and the health department handle cases confirmed on school buses will likely be different.

If the child with the virus sits in front it’s possible the students in the back of the bus wouldn’t be quarantined, Gupta said. In that case, the county would call parents and they could monitor their children for symptoms for 14 days. But each situation will be unique, she said.

After gathering all the details, the county will make a recommendation on what needs to be done based on all the current guidance. And that guidance often changes, she said.

In many ways, dealing with a case in the classroom is handled much like a case was handled in a day care or in a business.

At the beginning, people were upset and nervous and everyone quarantined, Gupta said. As time went on, businesses stayed opened and if people were wearing masks, they monitored themselves for symptoms, she said.

Gupta said parents need to talk to their kids and stress that it’s important to follow the rules - and to tell the truth when they are questioned by the teacher or an investigator. And they shouldn’t be worried they’ll be punished.

“They shouldn’t feel uncomfortable, or hide anything because they are scared or think mom will get upset,’' she said. “You didn’t put your mask on. It’s OK. Kids are kids.”

If kids want to stay in school, they need to follow the rules — wear their masks and stay six feet apart from others.

“I need everybody to make that happen,’' she said.

Elizabeth Doran covers education, suburban government and development, breaking news and more. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact her at 315-470-3012 or email edoran@syracuse.com.