BOISE, Idaho — North Charter Elementary School in Eagle will be closed for two weeks while students and staff quarantine after an outbreak of COVID-19. All learning will be shifted to a virtual format until Oct. 5.
In a release sent to KTVB, North Star Charter said, "Due to several positive cases among staff in our Elementary School, which led to proactive quarantine measures, we do not have sufficient coverage to operate the elementary school."
The release did not say how many students and staff members have coronavirus.
The decision to shut down the school was made Monday night at a school board meeting.
The statement went on to say, "This decision was made in accordance with CDH (Central District Health) and its recommendation to quarantine individuals who were in close contact with an infectious individual to break transmission cycle of the virus. The health and safety of our students and staff is of paramount importance to us. We are committed to protecting our students and staff, while providing the highest quality of education to our students in-person and remote."
Central District Health spokesperson Brandon Atkins said there is no specific protocol for schools to follow if an outbreak occurs, adding the situation of an outbreak of the coronavirus will likely vary school by school.
"If we saw three or four cases in a given school, for example, all within one classroom it may be that that classroom needs to go to remote learning," Atkins said.
Atkins said 50 schools in Central District Health's jurisdiction have had COVID-19 cases but so far North Star Charter Elementary is the only one to close.
Gretchen Parsons is an anchor, reporter and producer at KTVB since 2016. You can follow her on Instagram @gretchenparsonsKTVB or @gretchenKTVB on Twitter.