DETROIT – Classes at Detroit Catholic Central High School began last week, and a faculty member has tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19).
While the Oakland County Health Department continues contact tracing, school officials are encouraging students to remain vigilant.
It’s not clear where that staff member was exposed to the coronavirus, but officials believe students and other staff members avoided close contact with that person.
School officials said personal protective equipment and social distancing plans are working.
“We want to do everything we can to keep the students in the building, but first and foremost, the focus has to be on their safety,” said Jake Marmul, of Detroit Catholic Central.
The faculty member took a COVID-19 test over the weekend, and the results came back positive on Monday.
“Our maintenance crew came in on Sunday and did a clean wherever that faculty member may have been,” Marmul said.
Oakland County health officials started contact tracing after the positive test. They determined there wasn’t any close contact between that person and others in the school.
“Through our social distancing and the limited number in the classrooms -- how we’re spread out in the hallways and media center and cafeteria and gym, and just everything that’s been working -- we were able to make sure that there had been no close contact with that faculty member,” Marmul said.
Students are screened before they enter the building, and everyone is required to wear a mask. There are around 950 students enrolled this year, and the vast majority are doing a mix of virtual and in-person learning.
“We have thermal scanners and we have a couple faculty and our school nurse there with the forehead scanners, just to make sure that we’re getting students in the building safely,” Marmul said.
Catholic Central opened an on-site COVID-19 testing center Monday. Students and staff members have to make an appointment to get a test there.
The faculty member who tested positive will quarantine for 14 days and then take another test before being allowed back to the school, officials said.