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Superintendent: Super-spreader parties to blame for rise in Manhasset student COVID-19 cases

Following their winter break, middle and high school students will not be coming back to the Manhasset Secondary School as originally planned. Instead, they'll be all remote, with no extracurricular activities or sports.

News 12 Staff

Feb 17, 2021, 10:29 PM

Updated 1,370 days ago

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The winter sports season is over at a Nassau high school after district officials say parties led to dozens of positive cases.
Following their winter break, middle and high school students will not be coming back to the Manhasset Secondary School as originally planned. Instead, they'll be all remote, with no extracurricular activities or sports.
The decision comes after at least 38 students tested positive for coronavirus, according to a letter from the superintendent, who says the cases can be traced back to parties that became super-spreader events.
The district says many of the students who tested positive were asymptomatic, which likely gave them a false sense of security.
There's also concern about more community spread to come. Some parents are now saying the people responsible for hosting those parties should be held accountable.
"For those people who allowed their kids to go to parties, or hosting these parties, I think they need to make twice about making that decision," says Christina Zhang, of Manhasset. "It's a very selfish decision and their actions impacted a lot of people, impacted the whole community."
Back in October, social gatherings in Suffolk County led to a series of outbreaks and resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in fines. Nassau officials have not said if they plan to penalize the people who held the parties.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran had little information about this case, though her office says the fire marshal did not receive any recent complaints about parties in Manhasset.
Manhasset Secondary School will be all-remote until at least Feb. 26. The winter sports season ends Feb. 27.
The Manhasset School District is working to determine if the outbreak has also impacted students on the elementary level.