Entire MS Coast middle school sent home to quarantine after COVID-19 outbreak
The entire student body of Long Beach Middle School will be sent home to quarantine for two weeks after more than a third of students either tested positive for COVID-19 or were potentially exposed to the virus.
Superintendent Jay R. Smith announced the plans in a letter to parents on Tuesday evening.
Students will return to school on Oct. 14.
The letter said that 15 students have tested positive for the virus and 165 are in quarantine due to possible exposure; altogether, 35% of the student body has been affected.
The state health department notified the district on Tuesday that it recommends closing a campus when 33% of students either test positive or have been potentially exposed, Smith wrote.
Long Beach chose to depart from a traditional school schedule more than most districts on the Coast when it reopened in early August. While most districts offered a virtual option and taught most students on campus as usual, Long Beach chose to divide students into two teams. At each school, only one team, representing half the student body, attends class on campus during a given week. The other team learns at home.
The school board voted in mid-August to extend that schedule until Oct. 9.
Smith’s letter said that all middle school students will participate in distance learning for the next two weeks.
“Students and parents will be notified when to pick up technology devices by the school administration and all instructional guidance will be forthcoming by the staff at LBMS,” Smith wrote.
The Long Beach High School football team began a 14-day quarantine on Friday.
Staff will still report to the school building each day. Parents should contact the school directly with any questions at 228-864-3370.
In August, Biloxi High switched to all-virtual learning for two weeks after 15 students tested positive.
