RIPLEY, W.Va. — Multiple coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Jackson County Schools institutions, and Superintendent Blaine Hess says the school system is taking appropriate actions.
Hess told MetroNews affiliate WMOV-AM that five cases have been confirmed at Fairplain Elementary, Gilmore Elementary and Ripley High schools. The school system did not identify if students or employees tested positive.
One of the cases involving Ripley High School was a passenger on Bus 25 earlier this week. No students who were on that bus are being asked to quarantine.
Each school remains open.
One group of students was in school on Monday and Tuesday as the school system continues with a blended model. The second group of students participates in face-to-face lessons on Thursday and Friday. Wednesday is a designated cleaning day.
“We have not reached a threshold where we’re requiring any full remote learning or school closures,” he said. “We work very closely with the health department, and we really appreciate their efforts. When we get these reported cases, they spend extensive time conducting contract tracing to see who might have come in contact and might have to be quarantined.”
Jackson County is yellow on the state Department of Health and Human Resource’s coronavirus map that was updated Thursday and bronze on the Department of Education’s map released Saturday.