Byram Hills HS Closes After COVID-19 Exposure, Cases Linked to Party
Byram Hills High School will transition to remote learning for the rest of the week after two individuals tested positive for COVID-19.
High school athletics and extracurricular activities will also be canceled until further notice. With the high school now recording a total of four positive cases, Superintendent of Schools Jen Lamia said the cases are linked to a social gathering that took place outside of school last weekend.
“Students at HCC, Wampus and Coman Hill may continue to go to school,” Lamia said. “The COVID-19 positive cases did not affect transportation on school buses.”
Lamia said the district and Westchester County Department of Health are contact tracing, but stressed concern that more students who attended the social event could become positive in the next few days. Those concerns led to the decision to close the high school for the remainder of the week, Lamia said.
The school is expected to re-open for in-person learning on Monday.
Lamia said all students who need to quarantine will be notified by Thursday morning, with those required to quarantine asked to notify the school nurse.
The Westchester Department of Health will reach out to all those exposed and advise on the need to quarantine and arrange for testing. For such calls, your caller ID may read NYS Contact Tracing or display a phone number with a 518-area code.
Your identity and the information you share will remain confidential.
Health officials stress that quarantine measures should be honored if you suspect you or child may have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19. Symptoms of the virus include fever, chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, or new loss of taste or smell. Other symptoms include, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
If you have any questions, contact your physician or the Westchester County Health Department at 866-588-0195. Testing information can be found at here.
