Student, staff member and service provider test positive at Glen Cove City School District

The Glen Cove City School District on Sept. 30 released a letter from Superintendent Dr. Maria L. Rianna regarding three positive cases of Covid-19 within the district.

According to the letter, a service provider who had been in the Gribbin Elementary School seven days ago, a staff member at Deasy School who had been in self-quarantine prior to testing because of close contact with a Covid-19 positive person and a Glen Cove High School student has tested positive for Covid-19.

Celeste Gullo, the mother of a fourth grade Connolly Elementary School student, said that she was concerned about the way the district announced the Covid-19 positives and how the district is handling the situation.

Gullo said that she, along with other parents, learned about the positive cases through Facebook, instead of through the district. She added that the district needs to be proactive about notifying parents about positive cases of the virus because parents need to know.

The letter has been posted on the district’s website and Facebook page.

“Parents want to know ‘now what’ and if their kids are at risk,” Gullo said.

Pursuant to Nassau County Department of Health guidelines there was no need for closure in these school buildings.

“Per our established protocol, which is based on guidance from the Center for Disease Control, New York State Department of Health and Nassau County Department of Health Services, we have taken all proper measures to ensure the safety and health of our students and staff...,” Rianna said.

The steps include having the individuals who tested positive isolate themselves at home for at least 14 days. They will not be permitted on school grounds until the district receives confirmation of a negative Covid-19 test.

The names and information surrounding the individuals who tested positive are being kept private.

The district and the NCDOH have also contacted any person who has had close contact with the three individuals with directions on what to do next. Rianna said that if one has not been contacted, they are not considered a close contact and there is nothing more they need to do at this time.

“As always, everyone should monitor their health, stay at home if they develop symptoms and contact their health care provider to determine if testing is needed,” Rianna said. “Anyone who develops severe symptoms should seek medical care immediately.”

Arianna Puca, a Glen Cove resident who is a teaching assistant at the Westbury Union Free School District, said that she is not shocked. “I’m not worried,” Puca said. “We literally are around kids that get sick every day, whether it be coronavirus or flu, or a common cold.”