Four Long Island school districts will be closed Tuesday after being alerted by the Nassau County Department of Health about workers testing positive for the coronavirus.
The Plainview-Old Bethpage School District has canceled classes for Tuesday after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus.
School officials issued a statement saying, "We have just been notified by a staff member who has a confirmed case of the coronavirus. We have contacted the Department of Health for guidance and are awaiting direction. As a precautionary measure, we will be closing all schools tomorrow, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Once we have further information from the CDC and Department of Health, we will update you by 1 p.m. tomorrow. Buildings will be thoroughly cleaned as we await further direction."
The Locust Valley School District will also be closed Tuesday after school officials were alerted by the Nassau County Department of Health that two contracted employees involved in transporting students have tested positive for coronavirus.
The Glen Cove School District is also closed Tuesday after school officials were alerted by the Nassau County Department of Health that a contracted transportation employee has tested positive for coronavirus.
The Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District announced schools will be closed Tuesday.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Laura Seinfeld released a statement saying, "The Nassau County Department of Health just contacted us to share that two individuals employed by our transportation contractor who transport community students to locations other than our district schools have tested positive for coronavirus. The Department of Health is contacting each affected student's family to advise on required quarantine and plans to monitor them during this period. At this time there have been no confirmed cases among our students or staff. Out of an abundance of caution, schools will be closed Tuesday, March 10 for further cleaning and assessment of this matter. We will remain in close contact with the Department of Health and transportation company, and provide an update tomorrow."
In addition, Valley Stream School District 30 officials say that a spouse of a faculty member at Shaw Avenue Elementary School is on 14-day self-isolation based on flu-like symptoms. They say the spouse has been tested for coronavirus and is awaiting results. School officials say the district is working closely with the Nassau County Health Department to discuss the full extent of precautions being taken.
The latest closings come after the Shoreham-Wading River School District canceled classes for Monday.
In a statement, the district says, “The Shoreham-Wading River School District is closed today due to a potential suspected case of coronavirus with a high school staff member's spouse. The district has been in contact with the Suffolk County Department of Health and while we await confirmation and guidance from them we have decided to cancel classes at all schools today out of an abundance of caution.”
Many students say they arrived at the high school in buses after 7 a.m. just to find that the doors were locked. Some students say they had to wait on their buses in the parking lot of the school until officials told the buses to bring them back home. Some students were also told to have their parents pick them up.
Parents tell News 12 they had no warning or heads up from officials about the shutdown and the last-minute decision sent them scrambling to pick up their kids.
Shoreham-Wading River school officials say schools will be opened Tuesday.
Hofstra University also canceled all of its in-person classes this week. University officials say a student came in contact with someone who had previously tested positive for coronavirus and is now experiencing flu-like symptoms.
Touro College is holding online classes through Thursday as a test just in case the school has to close because of an emergency.
School superintendents say they're in constant contact with local health departments so that everyone's on the same page.
"If in fact someone tests positive there'll be a 24-hour closure — a 24-hour pause — where we put our information together and we decide the best move going forward," says David Bernardo, superintendent of South Huntington schools. "So at that point without a gun to your head, you make your decision in a calm, contemplative way. And that's the goal through this."
The Westbury School District was informed that a family within the district is under mandatory quarantine after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus. The district is working with the Nassau County Department of Health to discuss the full extent of precautions that we should be taking. Over this past weekend, the Westbury School District thoroughly cleaned and sanitized each room of each district building as a proactive measure. School officials say they have not been advised by health officials to close the schools.
Watch News 12 each night this week from 7-7:30 p.m. for a call-in show to answer any of your questions concerning the coronavirus outbreak.
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