6 March Five Central Bucks schools closed due to coronavirus
Five schools in the Central Bucks School District in the Philadelphia suburbs were closed Friday, March 6 because the district says people within the district were exposed to a confirmed case of Coronavirus.
The schools that were closed are:
- Butler Elementary School
- Central Bucks South High School
- Titus Elementary School
- Tohickon Middle School
- Tamanend Middle School
In a statement posted to the district’s website, CBSD said the closures were due to “an abundance of caution.” School district Superintendent Dr. John Kopicki said the 19 exposure was with a confirmed case in another state.
The case of coronavirus involved originated in another state, Superintendent John J. Kopicki said. There have been no confirmed coronavirus ( COVID-19) cases in Pennsylvania.
The individuals who were exposed were "members of the Central Bucks community," Kopicki said in a letter to families, but no further details about those individuals were released. "It is important to reiterate that there are no known or reported cases of coronavirus in Central Bucks School District, Bucks County or in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," Kopicki said in a letter sent to Central Bucks families.
They announced the closure Friday morning. The district and Bucks County health officials learned of the exposure late Thursday night, Kopicki said.
The closure includes Central Bucks South High School, which has about 1,800 student, two middle schools and two elementary schools.
“Late last evening CBSD was made aware that individuals within the district were exposed to a confirmed case of Coronavirus," the districts statement said. "After consulting with local and state health authorities, and out of an abundance of caution, CBSD has decided to close 5 schools today, March 6, 2020. Butler, CB South, Titus, Tohickon and Tamanend will be closed today for students, teachers and staff.”
The schools are being closed Friday for deep cleaning of all impacted facilities, Kopicki said. The district is awaiting further information from the Bucks County Department of Health. "The Bucks County Health Department is currently evaluating these individuals to determine when they may return to school,"
"It is important to reiterate that there are no known or reported cases of coronavirus in Central Bucks School District, Bucks County or in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," Kopicki said in the letter.
The schools were closed "out of an abundance of caution," he said.
The people who were exposed in another state are being checked out, Kopicki said. New Jersey now has its first two presumptive positive cases of the novel coronavirus, New Jersey Acting Governor Sheila Oliver said Thursday.
"The Bucks County Health Department is currently evaluating these individuals to determine when they may return to school," he wrote.
