Dear Families and Colleagues:

Last night the Madison Public School District was notified that a member of our Jeffrey Elementary School community has tested positive for COVID-19. The individual has been instructed to remain home and quarantine. Through investigation and consultation with the affected individual, our District contact tracing team worked late into the evening to identify close contacts and notified them to quarantine effective immediately. Thank you to all of the families who spoke with the school based team last night. It is with your help and cooperation that we can continue to keep schools open when positive cases occur.

The District continues to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance as it pertains to close contacts. A close contact is defined as being within six feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes. One classroom cohort within the school has been identified as close contacts and will need to quarantine for the CDC recommended 14-day period. However, it is important to note that we have not received any other reports of staff or students who have experienced symptoms or signs of illness and this case is not a result of school-based transmission. In consultation with the local Department of Public Health we feel confident that Madison Public Schools can remain open.

Our priority is the health and safety of all members of our school community. Schools are still considered to be safe places thanks to the mitigation strategies we have in place to prevent the spread of infection including the wearing of face coverings, enhanced cleaning, and social distancing.

Families are reminded to continue to conduct daily health screenings before sending students to school. Information regarding the home screening can be found on our district website.

We are closely monitoring this situation and working with the Madison Department of Public Health. We will continue to inform the public when we identify positive cases and close contacts in our school community. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your support of our efforts to keep the MPS community safe and healthy.

Very truly yours,

JeanAnn C. Paddyfote, Ph.D.
Interim Superintendent of Schools