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El Dorado County Elementary Student Tests Positive For Coronavirus, Cohort Quarantined

EL DORADO COUNTY (CBS13) — A week after returning to school, a Lakeview Elementary student has tested positive for COVID-19, district officials confirmed.

Superintendent of Rescue Union School District, Cheryl Olson, said they were informed Sunday evening that a student tested positive for the virus. Based on the district's protocol, only one 11-student cohort will need to quarantine. The cohort and their teacher are expected to return to school on Sept. 2.

"The health and safety is a paramount concern for us, so we will be monitoring the situation extremely closely," said Superintendent Olson.

According to Olson, the student was only in class at the beginning of the week. She said they never came to school with any symptoms. She hopes this will be the last positive case within the school.

"I think that is always a concern but that is why we work so hard. We started in March to develop our plan, our reopening plan, and we did not leave anything to chance. We have tried to think of everything we can to try to promote health and safety. I feel really confident in our operational plan," Olson said.

READ: CDC Updates School Guidelines For Covid-19 Pandemic

Some district parents said they are not surprised by the positive test result.

"I don't have a concern for my kids. I think I have just as high of a risk as going to Safeway and being exposed to something that they do in the classroom," said Michelle Sunseri.

Jesse Hineman has a student at Lake Forest Elementary School and expressed the need for students to get back inside the classroom.

"They need to socialize they need to get out. I think there is a lot more risk everywhere. Everything has a potential issue with COVID," he said.

The district safety protocols include daily screenings and temperature checks before arriving at school, mask requirements, socially distant classroom seating, no water fountain access and canceling both lunch and recess. Students instead are on modified hours, limiting their school days to around three hours.

"This is a phenomenal school district that we have. They take every precaution necessary," said Hineman.

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The school will remain open and operate under its social distance guidelines and enhanced disinfecting procedures. According to Olson, 5% of students and faculty would have to test positive to close the school. That comes out to around 28 positive cases at the school.

Olson hopes parents will model what the district is doing at home.

"If we want to stay in school, if there is any hope for that than we really need to do everything in our power both at school and out in the community to make that happen," she said.

El Dorado County schools are allowed to hold in-person classes because the county has not been on the state's watch list.

READ ALSO: Jackson Elementary Students Return To School For In-Person Learning

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