Archbishop Spalding to go virtual after two students test positive for COVID19

Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn has temporarily switched to remote instruction for all students after two of them tested positive for COVID19, school administrators wrote in a letter to parents this week.

Administrators said a number of students attended off-campus gatherings Sept. 11 and 12. The school, which has about 1,200 students, has urged students and staff not to attend large gatherings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Administrators said remote instruction, which begins Sept. 17-18, would remain in place while further contact tracing is conducted.   

“We strongly encourage parents to talk to their children to determine if they attended these gatherings and to then monitor their health and symptoms closely,” administrators wrote to parents. “Families, please know that self-reporting ensures the health and safety of your children as well as the safety of our community.”

The administrators said the school alerted the Anne Arundel County Health Department and is working with the agency to ensure all necessary procedures are carried out.

“The health and safety of all members of our school communities is our top priority. The decision to move to virtual instruction for the remainder of the week was made out of an abundance of caution,” the archdiocesan Department of Catholic Schools said in a statement. “Our extensive planning and preparation for both in-person and remote learning gives us the flexibility to shift between the two modes of instruction as needed.”

Archdiocese of Baltimore Catholic Schools began classes for the new school year Aug. 31 with a mixture of remote learning and in-person instruction. Although most Maryland public school systems have not returned to in-person instruction, archdiocesan officials said they were confident that their schools could do so safely by adhering to strict safety protocols.

Archdiocese of Baltimore Catholic Schools Superintendent Donna Hargens said the department worked closely with Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a parishioner at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, on reopening policies. Those measures include mask-wearing, physical distancing, hand washing and sanitizing common high-touch areas.

Universities across the country have had similar issues with students attending large gatherings off-campus and then later testing positive for COVID19. A number of universities have decided to switch from in-person instruction to remote learning after experiencing outbreaks.

Email Tim Swift at tswift@CatholicReview.org

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