Possible covid cases shut down 2 Thomas Jefferson sports teams

The West Jefferson Hills School District has shut down the girls swim team for two weeks and the girls basketball team indefinitely after learning that several players may have been exposed to coronavirus.

In a letter to parents on Nov. 12, Superintendent Michael Ghilani outlined the reasons the district took action to try to slow the spread of the virus.

“In the last 24 hours, we have been dealing with several possible covid-19 cases at the high school,” he wrote. “One potential case involves an adult that is in quarantine who is involved with the fall play. The other potential cases are associated with the swim team and girls basketball team.”

The district switched the high school to full-remote learning on Friday and canceled all after-school activities at the building so it could be cleaned and sanitized.

The one-day change also gave people who were presumed positive for covid more time to get their test results, he said.

The superintendent said one of the covid cases in the district is “concerning” because the patient does not know where the virus may have been contracted.

“In every other case we’ve had in the district, we have been able to trace transmission to a parent or other adult outside of the district,” Ghilani wrote. “We also have had a higher number of students having to quarantine this week because their parent or guardian has tested positive.”

The superintendent also urged people who may be traveling to a covid “hotspot” during the Thanksgiving break to self-quarantine for 14 days after they return home to prevent possible transmission in the school buildings.

“Our goal is to keep kids in school,” he said. “If spreading continues to happen in the community and it finds its way into our buildings, we will be forced to go full remote.”