School officials disclosed Saturday that a member of the Beaver Brook Elementary School community has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
It is the first known case of the virus among either an Abington student or a member of the professional staff since school returned to session on Sept. 16.
All families of students who were in close contact with the person have been notified by the Abington Health Director. Close contact is defined as being within six feet of a person with the virus for at least 15 minutes.
“We are also following all Department of Health protocols, including collaborating with the Abington Health Director to complete contact tracing,” Abington Schools Superintendent Peter Schafer wrote in an email to families.
He said classrooms, offices, and spaces are sanitized daily and nightly, but will undergo additional sanitizing. Since they’ve been back, students and staff have also been closely adhering to the safety protocols including mask wearing, hand washing, and physical distancing, Schafer said.
“We are grateful to our families for the continued efforts to keep students home at the first sign of symptoms,” he said. “These measures, taken in combination, greatly reduce the risk of transmission. We will continue to be vigilant in adhering to all of the protocols that have been put in place.”
Abington had nine active cases as of Sept. 23, the most recent date for which community data is available. The positive test rate for Abington residents is 1.85 percent, which is more than double the state average of 0.85 percent.
This article will be updated as more information comes in.