CCSD Deputy Superintendent Brenda Larsen-Mitchell responds to a question during a news conference at Wolff Elementary School in Henderson Friday, March 5, 2021. Congresswoman Susie Lee, D-Nev., listens at left.
Published Friday, March 5, 2021 | 3:48 p.m.
Updated Friday, March 5, 2021 | 6:05 p.m.
Eight Clark County School District staff members tested positive for coronavirus during the first week of in-person learning in the gradual return to the classroom after pandemic closures, Deputy Superintendent Brenda Larsen-Mitchell said Friday.
Larsen-Mitchell said some of the staff who tested positive were those working remotely. She was unable to provide a breakdown of how many on-campus employees were positive.
“We have strict protocols in place, and we were able to implement those and give direction and provide direction to the school and communicate with our parents and our families,” Larsen-Mitchell said.
The campuses affiliated with the employees who tested positive are Cyril Wengert Elementary, Eva G. Simmons Elementary, David M. Cox Elementary, Fay Galloway Elementary, Joseph E. Thiriot Elementary, Dean Petersen Elementary, Don and Dee Snyder Elementary and Earl N. Jenkins Elementary.
Larsen-Mitchell didn’t disclose the exact number of students who were quarantined but said officials communicated with impacted families to make sure staff and students are safe.
CCSD opened Monday to in-person learning for preschool through third-grade students after about a year of distance learning. It’s a hybrid model in which students who opted to return receive two days of in-person learning and remain in a remote setting for the other three days.
Older grades will return to the classroom March 22 and April 6 — although the demand to return may create a capacity problem, officials said. Classroom capacity limits could prevent some students from returning.
“Our middle schools and our high schools are very complex. We have to look at the schedule, so we’re working through those issues right now with our principals,” CCSD Superintendent Jesus Jara said.
Jara said there were some minor tweaks that needed to be addressed after the first week of opening, but “the feedback that I’m getting from our community has been very positive.”
Jara was joined at a news conference Friday at a Henderson elementary school by U.S. Rep Susie Lee, who said the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan will help CCSD continue getting up to speed. It is expected to receive about $800 million, which will go toward improving ventilation in classrooms, modifying school buildings to allow for social distancing and personal protective equipment.
“It’s really about getting vaccines into the arms of people, getting students into seats in schools and getting people back to work,” Lee said.
