Miami-Dade School Closed When Aftercare Worker Gets Coronavirus

BAY HARBOR ISLANDS, FL — Children at a Miami-Dade County elementary school were told to stay home Friday as an aftercare worker at a nearby community center tested positive for the new coronavirus.

The Ruth K. Broad Bay Harbor K-8 Center will be closed until further notice, according to Miami-Dade County Public schools.

"The individual, who works at an aftercare program located in the town’s community center, interacted with students who attend that program," school officials confirmed.

District officials said they consulted with Florida health officials before making the decision to close the school in Bay Harbor Islands.

Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho told reporters Thursday that he had no immediate plans to close any of the schools in the nation's fourth-largest school system.

"We see no reason at this point to shut down a single school in Miami-Dade, much less the school system," he said at that time. "There isn't a single confirmed, or presumptive case that is directly or indirectly connected to the school system."

That changed later that night after district officials were contacted by town officials about the Bay Harbor Islands employee.

"Parents and employees have been advised of the closure and are being instructed not to come to school," district officials said Friday. "The health department will be providing additional information on Friday."

While trying to avoid any closures, the district has also been preparing for such a possibility if needed. School officials stockpiled more than 200,000 electronic devices that students can take home for grade-appropriate remote learning

"We recognize the impact that closing our school system would have in the greater community at all levels, in terms of burden on the parents, impact to the workforce and a number of public and private sector institutions, without a reasonable foundation to do so at this point," Carvalho explained Thursday at a news conference.

Carvalho said the district had also amassed at least 90 to 120 days of cleaning and sanitization products. He said there were commitments from Miami-Dade County for additional supplies and manpower in the case of hotspots in the school system.

"This week we are re-emphasizing that element and going into next week as well, with the distribution of wipes for every single teacher's classroom that can be utilized not only by the facilities, but by staff as well," Carvalho said.

The superintendent said he had no plans to suspend athletic activities and club activities but he had suspended internships for students.

"I know there is a degree of anxiety out there, but I want to re-emphasize, athletic activities, club activities are part of the fabric of public education," Carvalho insisted. "If you cut them out, we're sending a bifurcated message about what we believe constitutes a danger to students. I don't think that having students out there on a track is any more dangerous than having students in a classroom."

The families of children who attend Ruth K. Broad Bay Harbor will be contacted to begin remote learning.

The district's instructional continuity plan can be found here. For help in setting up distance learning, call 305-995-HELP from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Teacher's and stuff who are experiencing anxiety can call the district's Employee Assistance Program at 305-995-7111.

Click here for more information on the district's response to COVID-19 or call a hotline at 305-995-3000.