Beekmantown Central: Presumed COVID positive teacher has tested negative

BEEKMANTOWN | While several people remain in quarantine following a positive COVID-19 test among students, Beekmantown Central School District said the one teacher presumed positive has since tested negative. Roughly 50 people were quarantined following the Sept. 20 notification that a second-grade student had tested positive for COVID-19 just five days after the district officially opened its doors for on-site learning. At the time, a Beekmantown Middle School teacher was presumed positive, leading to a targeted effort to quarantine other teachers, administrators, and students who may have been in contact with that teacher. But, district officials announced on Sept. 25, the teacher's COVID test came back with negative results. "This is great news for many reasons," administrators wrote to parents. "As it stands now, our social distancing measures, mask-wearing, and other precautionary measures which meet or exceed the standards for public health work." While the Clinton County Health Department quickly jumped into contact tracing efforts surrounding the two presumed cases, roughly a dozen people were sent for testing. All those tests have come back negative, officials said. "Those whose confidence was understandably rattled, because of the significant quarantines, testings, and two cases, which is now one, can sleep easier knowing our/your hard work and vigilance has paid off during the reopening of school. We can all be more confident about the future as well." Two youth soccer teams were also placed under quarantine following the student's positive test. The COVID scare led officials to quickly move all students in the district to two weeks of remote learning with an Oct. 5 return date. District officials hoped the contract tracing efforts would help determine if the district's preventative health measures are effective and as of Sept. 26 it appears the illness has not spread further among students or staff.

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Beekmantown Central: Presumed COVID positive teacher has tested negative

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