MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. — Editor's note: KREM initially reported nearly 300 positive COVID-19 cases. This information is inaccurate. Medical Lake School District has tested nearly 300 students and staff, and is reporting 60 positive cases district-wide as of Monday, Sept. 20.
Sixty people tied to the Medical Lake School District have tested positive for COVID-19 as on Monday, according to Superintendent Tim Ames.
In a statement sent to families on Friday, Ames said 290 students, staff and family had to be tested for COVID-19 in the first three weeks of school. Medical Lake School District officials said the center point of COVID-19 spread has been the high school, as well as other parts of the community.
Ames told KREM 2 on Monday that the district was proactive in offering free COVID-19 testing to the 290 people after some initial positive tests from high school football players. So far, 60 students, staff or family members have tested positive for COVID-19. There are 1,749 students and 230 staff members within the district.
Medical Lake High School briefly moved to virtual instruction for one day on Friday, Sept. 17 but all schools are currently operating in-person, Ames said.
“Given the current situation please pay close attention to your student and potential symptoms. We had so many families and students think it was allergies or just the beginning of a cold which then turned into a positive test,” Ames wrote in his statement to families on Friday. “If you see this, please keep them at home until they have been symptom free for 24 hours.”
Most of the COVID-19 testing was provided by the district free of charge. The district has also received additional testing kits in order to serve more families, Ames said.
“Our ultimate goal is to keep all of our school open for in-person instruction and with your support and our diligence to follow all safety protocols we can get through this,” Ames said in his Friday statement.
