Students, Staff At 6 Reading Schools Test Positive For COVID-19

READING, MA — Some students and staff members across six different schools in Reading have tested positive for the coronavirus in the last few days, Superintendent John Doherty said. As a result of contact tracing, 54 students and four employees have to quarantine.

Doherty said the cases were as follows:

• A Birch Meadow staff member who was in person last week. There were no staff close contacts and 16 student close contacts.
• A Coolidge student who was in person last week. There were two staff member close contacts and 11 student close contacts.
• A Coolidge student who was in person this week. There was one staff close contact and four student close contacts.
• A RMHS staff member who has been remote. There were no close contacts in school.
• Two RMHS students who have been remote this week. There were no close contacts in school.
• A RMHS student who was remote this week but participated in sports practice this week. There were 23 student close contacts who are currently quarantined as a result of this situation.
• A Barrows student was in person last Thursday. One staff member was a close contact and is being quarantined.
• Four Parker students who were either remote or not in school when they were infectious. There is no known connection between these cases. There were no close contacts in school from these four cases.
• A Killam student who was remote during the infection period. There were no close contacts in school.

The impacted classrooms and spaces at the schools were disinfected, Doherty said. The Board of Health is reaching out to close contacts identified in the school system.

"We would also like to emphasize that we have had no confirmed in school transmissions at this time," Doherty said. "We want to thank our students, staff, and administrators for creating and establishing a safe and healthy learning environment in our schools."