Schools cleaned after COVID cases
Monongalia County school and elections officials say a positive coronavirus case reported at Cheat Lake Elementary School over the weekend won’t affect those casting ballots in person there for Election Day today.
The school on Crosby Road serves as a polling station for Precinct 78.
Mon Schools Superintendent Eddie Campbell Jr. said he and others from the county health department did a walk-through of the building Sunday afternoon after learning of the diagnosis of a student that morning.
He also ordered the school closed Monday as a precaution.
A full cleaning and disinfecting was launched, while instruction was delivered remotely.
Same for Morgantown High School, he said, which takes in Precincts 2A and 2B.
It was announced that a student there had tested positive last week and that contact tracing also detailed possible exposure to a number of teachers and several students.
MHS, though, will be open for voters today, also, Campbell said.
The student there hadn’t been to school for several days prior to his diagnosis, the superintendent said.
“We’re taking all the measures and following all the protocols,” Campbell said. “We’re confident that voters turning out at both schools will be safe.”
Voting machines, in fact, were just delivered Monday morning to Cheat Lake Elementary, said Carye Blaney, Mon’s county clerk.
She echoed Campbell in saying that safety is at the top of the ballot at every one of Mon’s precinct stations.
Poll workers will wear masks, plus face shields and gloves, she said.
Voting machines and other surfaces will be rigorously wiped down and disinfected, as well.
Each polling station will be stocked with face masks for any voter showing up without one, she said.
“We’ll have gloves, too, if people want them,” she said.
“We want everyone to be safe and to feel comfortable voting.”
Judging by advance numbers, the county has felt quite comfortable with voting, Blaney said.
Counting early voting and absentee ballots, around 30,000 Mon residents have already officially picked their candidates, she said.
“With all that, I’m not expecting an overwhelming turnout today,” she said, “but I think we’ll be steady.”
Mon Schools, meanwhile, will continue its steady response to every COVID-19 case that presents itself in the district.
“Steady,” is Campbell’s watchword, he said.
That’s why he announced last week the district is continuing its alternative in-person, remote learning model through Jan. 20.
“As we’ve talked, we’ve always known that we were going to have cases,” he said.
“But we aren’t seeing cases spread from within our schools. It’s all been from the community, and we’ve been able to quickly respond.”
