Students at Elkmont High School will spend an additional week learning from home while sanitization efforts continue and members of the faculty and student body remain on quarantine.

As of Friday, a total of 43 students and 10 teachers were out due to the novel coronavirus. Of them, 17 students and four teachers had tested positive for COVID-19, while the others were quarantined because they had symptoms of the disease or had been in close contact with someone who had symptoms or tested positive.

Limestone County Schools Superintendent Randy Shearouse said it was the number of faculty on quarantine that led them to close the school Aug. 17–21. With so many still on quarantine at the end of that week, the closure for grades 6–12 was extended until at least Aug. 28.

“Most students and faculty will be coming off quarantine through the week,” Shearouse said. “This gives us another week to clean as well.”

Other schools in the district have reported cases or sent multiple students home to quarantine due to possible exposure, but Shearouse said they were all open for traditional learning Monday.

The district is still within its first month since reopening. The reopening plan called for reevaluation on or before Sept. 4 to see which of the current implementations to reduce the spread of COVID-19 — no using lockers, temperature checks at select school entrances, no outside visitors, to name a few — could be lifted.

Shearouse said LCS continues to receive updated guidance on how to handle the pandemic as it relates to school, including a webinar set for Monday that could provide changes from the state level. Previous changes included looking for two symptoms of COVID-19 before beginning the contact tracing process, instead of one.

This change allowed for fewer students to be sent home for possible exposure to COVID-19 when in reality, the lone symptom that triggered contact tracing in the school was due to strep throat, overexertion on the playground or any number of non-COVID causes.

“We’re just being very precautionary in how we’re dealing with it at this point,” Shearouse said, adding the district continues to monitor for potential concerns.