Bethesda Catholic School Goes Virtual After Teacher Gets COVID-19

BETHESDA, MD — A Catholic school in Bethesda has moved from in-person to online classes after a teacher tested positive for COVID-19.

According to the Catholic Standard — the official newspaper for the Archdiocese of Washington — a teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School tested positive for COVID-19 on Sept. 25.

The school was initially only going to quarantine sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students, but decided "out of an abundance of caution ... to return to virtual learning for the entire school," The Standard reported, citing a statement from the Archdiocese of Washington.

The quarantine and virtual learning are scheduled to end on Oct. 8. Archdiocese officials said no students or families have reported symptoms or positive test results.

All Montgomery County schools — public or private — are required to report any COVID-19 symptoms or cases to their local health department.

"The school leadership acted quickly to contact the Montgomery County Health Department and work through the process to determine those students and educators potentially exposed," said Kelly Branaman, Secretary for Catholic Schools and Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Washington.

The teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School is the third positive case at an archdiocesan Catholic school in Montgomery County, according to the newspaper. The first two patients — a teacher and a student at Holy Redeemer Catholic School in Kensington — have recovered and returned to school.