Diamondback School to remain open, situation monitored following possible campus-wide COVID exposure

The Bullhead City Elementary School District Governing Board voted unanimously Sunday night not to close Diamondback (Elementary) School following the possible exposure of many faculty and students by an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19, also known as SARS-COV-2. The individual was wearing a mask, social distancing when possible and using personal protection equipment prior to being tested, according to information during the Board’s emergency meeting.

It was the large-scale possible exposure that prompted District administrators to confer with epidemiology personnel from the Mohave County Department of Public Health. The Health Department’s recommendation was to temporarily close the school for a two week period that would end at the start of BCESD’s Christmas break.

Following 20 minutes of discussion, Board members agreed to maintain Diamondback’s status quo. About 75% of Diamondback’s 400 students are on campus while the remainder are in class online. The school’s health attendant and administrators will monitor for any outbreaks, which could trigger a closure and require additional board action.

“We should send out notifications of possible exposure, like before,” said BCESD Board President Kory Burgess. “Let parents make the decision … If we close early because of a fear of the unknown, we’re taking away the parents’ decision.”

Superintendent Carolyn Stewart said it is “one of those very tricky situations … that potentially impacts the entire school.”

“We do know the person followed all protocols,” added Dr. Stewart.  “We don’t know the level of exposure.  If there are positives by the end of the week, we’ll be having this discussion again.”

The Board also agreed to postpone a workshop and meeting scheduled for tomorrow (Monday) night and combine it with a special budget meeting already scheduled for Tuesday, December 15.

The entire meeting may be viewed online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crk1KaFjFnk&feature=youtu.be. The public may view the Bullhead City School District’s COVID dashboard updates at https://bit.ly/CRUHSD_Dashboard.