News

School system confirms cluster of five cases at elementary school

By Lightning Reports, Published: August 10, 2021

The Henderson County public school system notified families on Monday that a cluster of Covid-19 cases had been confirmed at Hendersonville Elementary School.

Here is the message sent to parents and guardians via text, email, phone calls and the school system's website:

"The Henderson County Department of Public Health has notified us that to date, five individuals at Hendersonville Elementary have lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 that are epidemiologically linked, meeting the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) definition of a 'cluster.' We are working in close coordination with the Henderson County Department of Public Health to determine any students or staff who are considered to be close contacts.

"Since our COVID-19 District Dashboard is updated with new school-affected cases the business day after a positive case is confirmed, please note this cluster and associated case will be updated on the Dashboard tomorrow morning. If you or your child has been identified as a close contact of an individual who tested positive, the Hendersonville Elementary school nurse or other contact tracers with the Henderson County Department of Public Health will communicate with you directly. Due to privacy requirements, we can not and will not disclose any personally identifiable health information.

"Operations at Hendersonville Elementary will continue as usual, and HCPS will keep its school families informed of further updates. Those who have tested positive will follow health officials’ guidance to self-isolate at home per the current CDC guidelines. Quarantined students and staff will receive information from their school administrators about how they will access instruction, if they are well enough to do so while at home.

"HCPS will continue to adhere to any guidance and recommendations from local health officials to keep our staff and students safe. If you have questions about the current quarantine protocols local health officials are following, please view the state’s NCDHHS StrongSchoolsNC Toolkit at www.covid19.ncdhhs.gov/guidance#schools."