Overrun with COVID-19, John Adams Middle School moves eighth graders to distance learning for two weeks

May 8—John Adams Middle School announced Friday that it would move its eighth grade class to distance learning for two weeks due to an increase in COVID-related absences.

Rochester Public Schools Communications Director Heather Nessler was unable to quantify what percentage of the eighth grade class was in quarantine or ill. But, she said it was large enough to justify the decision.

"We had a large number of kids in the eighth-grade class that were in quarantine or were ill," Nessler said. "It was clearly enough that the administration and the COVID team sought guidance from Olmsted County Public Health to say 'how can we help reduce transmission?' The answer was to have our eighth graders distance learn for the next two weeks."

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This marks the first time since students returned to in-person learning that an entire grade at a school has had to revert back to distance learning. There have, however, been times when whole elementary classrooms have been moved to distance learning.

A notice from the district informed John Adams families that it will cancel the MCA science test for eighth grade students. It also clarified that would not negatively affect students' records.

According to the district's COVID-19 dashboard, there were 32 new cases of COVID-19 in the district during the period from April 26- May 2. During that same period, there were 651 teachers and students in quarantine.

The number of people in quarantine has increased every week since students returned to their schools from distance learning. During the prior week, from April 19-25, there were 546 students and staff in quarantine. The week before that, there were 414 individuals quarantined throughout the district. The week secondary students first returned to in-person learning, which was April 5-11, there were 266 students and staff in quarantine.

The Minnesota Department of Health keeps a list of all school buildings in the state that have had at least five confirmed cases of COVID-19 over a two-week reporting period. As of Friday, Olmsted County schools included on the list were John Adams Middle School, Lourdes High School, Mayo High School, and Byron High School.

There also were a number of schools included on the list from surrounding counties. There were no schools, however, on the list from Wabasha, Winona or Fillmore counties.

Olmsted County Schools with five or more cases of COVID-19 over a two-week period as of Thursday:

— John Adams Middle School, Rochester

— Lourdes High School, Rochester

— Mayo High School, Rochester

— Byron High School

Dodge County Schools with five or more cases of COVID-19 over a two-week period as of Thursday:

—

Kasson-Mantorville Middle School

—

Kasson-Mantorville Senior High

—

Triton High School, Dodge Center

Goodhue County Schools with five or more cases of COVID-19 over a two-week period as of Thursday:

—

Pine Island Secondary

Mower County Schools with five or more cases of COVID-19 over a two-week period as of Thursday:

— Austin Senior High

— Ellis Middle, Austin

— I.J. Holton Intermediate School, Austin

— Woodson Kindergarten Center, Austin