Superintendent begs parents for help after 11 test positive for COVID at Biloxi High
Eleven students and staff at Biloxi High School have tested positive for COVID-19 and contact tracing has identified 185 people who may have been exposed and are quarantining for 14 days, spokeswoman Jennifer Pyron said on Friday.
Pyron said social gatherings outside of school hours have played an important role in spreading the virus.
“We have noticed that there have been social activities outside of school with bigger numbers than the state is allowing right now,” she said. “We just wanted to ask our parents and students to make sure we’re following those guidelines when not in school — social distancing, continue to wear your mask, don’t have gatherings larger than state guidelines.”
The state currently limits indoor gatherings to no more than 10 people and outdoor gatherings to 20.
Pyron said that other schools in the district have recorded positive cases, but only a handful, and in most cases it appears people were infected before school began.
The high school, with 1,700 students, is currently the focus of the district’s COVID-19 transmission prevention efforts.
On Thursday, Superintendent Marcus Boudreaux sent a letter to high school students and parents, saying that weekend social activities, like “parties, sleepovers, get togethers, and hanging out with groups of friends” were the “driving factor” that could force the school to close.
“We are begging for your help to prevent such an outcome,” he wrote. “The efforts made during the school day to keep students socially distanced, masked up, and healthy are all negated with a few choices during the weekend.”
State Epidemiologist Paul Byers echoed that point during Thursday’s regular news briefing.
Byers said that many COVID-19 transmissions in schools are originating at sleepovers and parties outside school. In-school classes can continue, he said, only if students and families do their part outside classrooms.
In talking with principals and superintendents, Byers said he is encouraged that they generally seem to be following public-health guidelines inside schools.
Other schools on the Coast have also reported large numbers of students in quarantine after exposure to COVID-19. Gulfport High quarantined 100 after possible exposure during the second week of school, and 122 at North Gulfport Middle School were sent home after at teacher tested positive.
Pyron said she believes the district will be able to cut down in COVID-19 cases and keep schools open.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got 85% of our students still at the high school,” she said. “We definitely think we can get it under control. We just need everyone’s cooperation.”
Anita Lee contributed reporting
