BEDFORD, Michigan — Editor's Note: The attached video is from Nov. 11, 2020.
In-person learning is temporarily suspended at Bedford High School and Bedford Junior High School, district leaders announced Wednesday.
The suspension comes following a significant increase in confirmed positive COVID-19 cases and subsequent quarantining among students in both buildings.
According to Bedford Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Carl Shultz, the district received 22 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past ten days, including ten new cases at Bedford High School alone over a 24-hours period.
In addition to the positive cases, Schultz said, there are more than 200 students on a state mandated 10-day quarantine between the two schools.
The transition to a full-virtual model for BHS and BJHS will be in place through March 19, with students returning to in-person learning on Monday, March 22.
All elementary buildings will remain open under their current learning model as school leaders say the majority of cases in the last week were reported at the secondary campus.
In a letter sent home to parents, Shultz said that academic program-related information, like class schedules, will be shared through individual school building principals.
Decisions on extra-curricular programs and other events will be made on a case-by-case basis. Shultz said that the district will maintain as many of these programs as possible while learning remotely.
District Food Service will also transition to a pick-up model, in way that is similar to how it operated during the fall closure.
Meals will be available for pick-up at Bedford Senior High School between 1:30 - 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 11; Monday, March 15 and Thursday, March 18.
You can read the full letter sent home to parents below.
FULL BEDFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS LETTER
"Dear BPS Parents/Guardians,
Bedford Public Schools leadership and staff have remained vigilant in our pursuit to maintain in-person learning options for students across all district grade-levels.
This endeavor has been challenging for all members of our BPS family. Unfortunately, due to a significant increase in confirmed positive COVID-19 cases and subsequent quarantining at Bedford High School and Bedford Junior High School, both buildings will be temporarily suspending in-person learning effective immediately.
This transition to a full-virtual model for BHS and BJHS will be in place through March 19, 2021 (seven school days total) with students returning to in-person learning beginning on Monday, March 22, 2021.
All elementary buildings will remain in their current model as the vast majority of positive cases over the previous seven days have been reported at the secondary campus.
Overall, Bedford Public Schools has received 22 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past ten days. This includes ten new cases at Bedford High School alone over the previous 24 hours. In addition to the positive cases, there are now over two hundred students currently on a state mandatory ten-day close contact quarantine between BHS/BJHS.
In consultation with the Monroe County Health Department, the decision to transition the secondary buildings based on current and trending data is a necessity to help slow down the spread and reduce the overall impact on our district and community as a whole.
Several other communities within Monroe County have faced the same decision over the previous week. It is our sincere hope that this countywide spike in positive cases is an anomaly and not an indication of a prolonged increase.
As with any transition, there will be many extended decisions that will need to be made over the next few days regarding this brief change in learning model. Academic program-related information such as class schedules will be shared through individual school building principals.
Extra-curricular programs and events will be made on a case-by-case decision and will be facilitated by the individual program directors/leaders. The district will maintain as many of these programs as possible while learning remotely in an attempt to provide outlets for students when safe, feasible, and appropriate.
District Food Service will be transitioning to a pick-up service model similar to how it operated during the fall closure for secondary students and families.
Meals will be available for pick-up at Bedford Senior High School between 1:30-3:00 pm on Thursday 3/11, Monday 3/15, and Thursday 3/18. These details, along with more information, will be shared with all families via the district website.
Finally, as BPS and MCHD leadership have worked to conduct contact tracing protocols per State of Michigan Guidelines it has become more evident than ever that in order to maintain a safe and successful in-person learning model we need to work together as a community. The following bullet points are being shared once again in an attempt to provide reminders for all district families:
-- If your child has any of the symptoms described in the district-provided COVID-19 screener which is available on our website, he/she must be kept at home until proper medical diagnosis and testing is complete
-- If a family member has any COVID-19 related symptoms and is awaiting test results, your child should remain at home until a negative test result is received (even if he/she is not exhibiting symptoms they would be close contacts)
-- If your child is identified as a close contact and quarantined by BPS or MDHS, he/she should remain as secluded as possible within your home and not attend any school-sponsored or community-related events (this is the number one identified factor in our current cases).
Students participating in out-of-district events and activities while on quarantine has led to a large number of positive cases across the region. Please remember that close contact can become ill for up to ten days from the start of their quarantine due to the latency period of the virus.
Additional COVID-19 related information can be found on the BPS district website. If you have any questions regarding symptoms or the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), please visit the Monroe County Health Department website or contact them directly at (734) 240-7860.
Sincerely,
Dr. Carl Shultz
Superintendent, Bedford Public Schools"