Norwalk High School Closed After Positive Coronavirus Test

NORWALK, CT — In-person summer school at Norwalk High School was halted and the school was closed Tuesday after a person at the school tested positive for the coronavirus, according to district officials.

Classes were shifted online and will continue remotely until July 13 when the building will reopen for in-person instruction. In-person summer school started Monday.

"Unfortunately, Norwalk Public Schools was notified today that a member of the Norwalk High school community who was in the building for summer classes on Monday has tested positive for COVID-19," officials wrote on the district's website. "As a result, in consultation with the Norwalk Health Department and our medical advisor Dr. Norman Weinberger, we have made the decision to close Norwalk High until Monday, July 13. Summer school classes at Norwalk High will shift to distance learning until Monday, after the building has been thoroughly disinfected. In keeping with our protocols, anyone who may have been in contact with this member of community while in the building has been notified directly."

When the plan to hold in-person summer school classes in Norwalk was announced in May, city officials questioned the decision, but the district implemented protocols to ensure the safety of students and staff. Those precautions included:

• Use of face masks by all students and staff
• Limited class sizes
• 6 feet of spacing between desks
• Alternating seating on buses
• Frequent handwashing
• Thorough cleaning and more

"Those who may have potentially been exposed have been asked to self-quarantine for 14 days and to reach out to their health care provider about getting tested," district officials said. "While Connecticut has been a model for other states in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, we know that the threat from COVID-19 will not go away easily. We will continue to carefully move forward to provide the best learning environment possible, while keeping the health and safety of our students and staff in mind."