COVID outbreak closes Pioneer schools

Coronavirus surging through the students and staff at Pioneer Schools prompted the district on Monday to close its elementary and middle schools for five school days.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 11 students and four staff members have tested positive for COVID, Superintendent Jill Diehl told the Journal in an email. The district announced the five-day closure to parents on Monday afternoon after reviewing the Washington State Department of Health’s guidelines for K-12 schools and consulting with Mason County Public Health, she wrote.

The students are scheduled to return to the classrooms on Tuesday, Oct. 5.

“The majority of families have been appreciative that we are keeping their children’s safety as our top priority,” Diehl wrote. “We have some parents concerned that we may return to the long-term closures of last year, but the goal of the district is to return to our normal in-person learning schedule next Tuesday after taking the necessary measures to slow transmission and place priority on the health and safety of our Pioneer students and staff.”

Teachers reached out to families to provide remote learning schedules that began Wednesday, the district states.

In its notice to students, parents and guardians, the district encouraged them to watch for symptoms of COVID that include a sore throat, congestion or a runny nose, fever (100.4 degrees or higher), a cough, loss of sense of taste and/or smell, shortness of breath, fatigue, headache, muscle or body aches, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea (defined as two or more loose stools in 24 hours).

Starting Sept. 22, the district experienced positive cases among elementary and middle school students, Diehl wrote.

“On Monday, multiple close contacts were experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, our district experienced an increasingly high number of student illnesses and absences, and an increasing number of staff absences due to COVID-19 symptoms and no availability of substitutes to cover classes,” the superintendent wrote. “Consultations with Mason County Public Health determined that a temporary, short-term closure could slow the transmission of COVID-19 in our district.”

Individuals who experience the symptoms, or have been in close contact with someone who tested positive, are advised to isolate at home, call their health care provider for evaluation, and get tested for COVID-19.

If your child develops any of the symptoms, the district advises you, your child and all unvaccinated household members to stay home and contact your health care provider. COVID-19 information is available at masoncountywa.gov under “Mason County Novel Coronavirus COVID Information.”