Morristown High School All-Virtual Until At Least Friday

MORRISTOWN, NJ—The Morris School District will pivot to all-virtual learning until at least Friday, after a close contact of someone at the high school who tested positive showed signs of possible infection.

"This person," said a statement issued by the district, "who is also a member of the Morristown High School community, is displaying symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and is awaiting test results."

The district said contact tracing has been ongoing since Friday, when it announced the initial positive test within the high school. All close contacts have been notified directly, and the district said it will continue to work with the health department to monitor the situation, which was described in Friday's notification as "fluid."

Taking what it said was an "appropriately conservative approach," the district said all students at Morristown High School will follow an all-virtual schedule for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week (Sept. 29, 30 and Oct.1).

"The school-day schedule will remain the same," the district said, "and students should log into their A-day and B-day classes via Google Meet at the times they normally would. There will be no in-person extra- or co-curricular activities or athletic practices or scrimmages during these days."

The district said 37 people are currently being quarantined for at least two weeks. Any close contacts of the individual who tested positive will be required to produce a negative coronavirus test, taken after day 14, before returning to school, said the statement.

Morristown is not the only high school in the area to be faced with positive cases. Earlier this month, Chatham High School switched to remote learning for two weeks, after several positive coronavirus tests the district said resulted from a non-school gathering around Labor Day.

Morristown High School will resume the hybrid schedule on Friday, Oct. 2, unless test results show additional confirmed positive cases. The district said an update about next week's classes would be issued by Thursday.