CALDWELL, Idaho — The chances a parent is notified that their child was exposed to COVID-19 in the classroom depends on the school district.
Vallivue School District mother Heather Haines learned the hard way. She told KTVB on Friday that her child was in a classroom with five positive COVID-19 cases and was never informed by the district.
"Why not just a simple email or a text that says, ''Hey, you child has been exposed'." Haines said. "I would never have let my children be around my parents, their babysitter watched them Saturday. And since then, nine people have come down with COVID-19 from my one child."
The Vallivue School District has information posted on their individual school websites. The information includes the percentage of students and staff that have reported positive cases and the grade levels that have been exposed.
Other school districts are showing a more proactive approach. The Boise School District notifies students, families, and staff at the school of which a positive case is reported, according to BSD spokesperson Dan Hollar.
The Nampa School District notifies parents at the school with an email, according to NSD spokesperson Kathleen Tuck.
West Ada School District spokesperson Char Jackson and the Caldwell School District's spokesperson both told KTVB that families will be notified if a student is deemed to be in close contact with an infectious individual.
"I would have done thing's differently had I been notified," Heather said. "The most we can do is rest, ya know, and do what we're supposed to. Take care of yourself. It's just really frustrating because I feel like it was preventable."
Vallivue's notification procedure is a living document and can change as more data and information becomes available according to Vallivue School District, spokesperson Joseph Palmer.
Palmer added that the district is limited in its contract tracing ability due to available manpower.
At KTVB, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the virus. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: www.ktvb.com/coronavirus.
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