Infected Westwood schools employee exposed students

An employee of Westwood Public Schools working during a summer school program inadvertently exposed others to coronavirus during a three-hour period of in-person instruction on Monday.

“We want to emphasize that her exposure to students was limited to a threehour block, during which time she was properly outfitted with PPE,” said Westwood school Superintendent Emily Parks in a letter sent out to families on Monday.

Parks said the employee started to feel ill on July 3, just three days before the district opened up two school buildings for in-person instruction for about 100 students in an extended school year special education program.

The buildings included the Downey School and Westwood High School.

While the staffer awaited coronavirus test results, she did not work. Then, according to Parks, the employee received negative test results and was cleared to work on Monday, July 13.

“Unfortunately, while at work, she received another call from medical personnel informing her that, in fact, she had been misinformed and that her result is positive,” read the letter from Parks.

The employee left work immediately, but had already been around students for a three-hour time period.

The Westwood Public Health Department did contract tracing and parents of students who could have been exposed were informed, Parks said in the letter.

The Downey School was closed for cleaning the following day.

Parks said, “We will use today’s situation as an opportunity to learn as we contemplate the fall reopening plan.”