PLATTSMOUTH, NE — Plattsmouth public shools announced Sunday night they will be calling off classes this week due to the coronavirus.
In a statement issued to parents, the Plattsmouth Community Schools said that a student had been present at the Special Olympics basketball tournament in Fremont on February 29th that was attended by the 36-year-old Omaha woman who currently is hospitalized with COVID-19.
The school district said as a cautionary measure classes and all other school-related events will be canceled Monday through Thursday. The school district already had a planned day off on Friday.
Plattsmouth is now the second school district to call off classes for the week. Over the weekend, Fremont schools announced they would be canceled this week.
Below is the statement sent to Plattsmouth parents from the school district's superintendent Dr. Richard Hasty:
Given new information, I am sending another Coronavirus update for PCS. You might have heard about a woman that tested positive for the Coronavirus and was present at the Special Olympics event in Fremont, NE on Feb. 29, 2020. An Omaha World-Herald article about the topic is available at http://bit.ly/2IsxhAA. It has been confirmed by PCS school officials that a student from our district was present at that event. The student returned to school from March 2 to March 6 and was exposed to students and staff members. Given the sensitive nature, I ask that anyone with knowledge of our student respect the confidentiality of the child and the family. Based on information from the Sarpy County/Cass County Health Department, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, and others, it seems consistent that there are many “unknowns,” due to the novelty of this disease. Information about the Coronavirus and how you can help prevent spreading the disease is available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html. Out of concern for the safety and health of anyone that might have been exposed in our district, classes with be cancelled from Mon., Mar. 9 through Thu., Mar. 12. Students were not scheduled to be in session on Fri., Mar. 13. We are also cancelling all activities and practices from now until Mar. 15. Buildings will also be closed for use by outside groups for that same time period. This will also allow our custodial staff to complete additional deep cleaning in our facilities. During the week of Mar. 9-13, building administrators will be communicating remotely with certified staff members about working from home to develop plans for continuing learning in future short-term or long-term closures of this nature. We also plan to reduce public access to the administration center. At this time, we plan to proceed with our Board of Education meetings that are scheduled for Mon., Mar. 9, including our workshop at 6:00 PM and our regular meeting at 7:00 PM. I plan to send a status update on Sun., Mar. 15, 2020, unless new information warrants a follow up message sooner than that. We will continue to communicate with the Sarpy County/Cass County Health Department. Thank you for your patience and understanding. A safe and healthy learning environment is a top priority for our students, parents, staff members, and anyone that visits our school district.