Magee High School distributed a memo last Thursday announcing a quarantine for female student athletes after one student tested positive for COVID-19. The quarantine will prevent them from starting school with the student body next Monday.
The memo from MHS’s new principal, Dr. Brad Blake, and Athletic Director Teddy Dyess said that female students who participate in basketball, softball and volleyball would be under quarantine.
The quarantine started July 30 and expires on August 13, according to the memo, which adds that the quarantine also applies to these young ladies starting school, which is scheduled for August 10.
The school would not release the exact number of students who may be affected but it is thought to be around 30.
County Superintendent Greg Paes was contacted for additional details and stated that there was nothing more than what the newspaper already had received. He said that the other schools were not experiencing any issues so far but that the problem is out there and they may in the future.
The start plan approved by the school board and adopted by the district requires that parents notify the school principal as soon as a student is diagnosed positive for COVID-19.
Policy states that if someone tests positive in a student’s home, the child must quarantine for 14 days.
Contact tracing had to be done after the student was diagnosed. The school then notified the parents of the remaining athletes that one student had tested positive and that their children would have to be quarantined for two weeks.
The newspaper requested updates from the school as they occurred. The notice was updated but not shared with the paper stating that softball players would not be included in the quarantine. It was signed by Assistant Principal Dr. Maron Lacy and Athletic Director Teddy Dyess.
