On the afternoon of Friday, Dec. 11, Sedona-Oak Creek School District announced that a West Sedona School student had tested positive for COVID-19. This marks the second students at the school for preschoolers through sixth graders, with the first coming on Dec. 7, along with eight students and one staff member at Sedona Red Rock Jr./Sr. High School since Oct.23.

“Today, we received notification that a WSS student has tested positive for COVID-19,” SOCSD Superintendent and SRRHS Principal Dennis Dearden wrote in an e-mailed letter to district families, students and staff. “This student’s exposure to the virus was outside of school, and they were last on campus on Tuesday, December 8. While we must protect the privacy of the person involved, we believe it is best to communicate transparently with you so you can make well-informed decisions for your family.

There is nothing more important to SOCUSD than the safety and health of our students, our staff, and their families. We are working directly with county health officials to address this situation. All students and staff affected by this case have been notified, and close contacts are being quarantined.”

This comes after the decision last week by the governing board to keep campuses open through Friday, Dec. 18, the last day before winter break. The first few days when the spring semester resumes Jan. 4 will be virtual-only, but whether that will be two days or a full week has not yet 0been determined.

Along with a description of what COVID-19 is, symptoms and ways to mitigate that has been included in all the previous letters, in the Dec. 11 letter Dearden also wrote a paragraph about the appropriate response that parents should take regarding the virus.

“It is very important to remember that children look to adults for guidance on how to react to stressful events,” Dearden wrote. “Acknowledging some level of concern, without panicking, is appropriate and can result in taking the necessary actions that reduce the risk of illness. Teaching children positive preventative measures, talking with them about their fears and giving them a sense of some control over their risk of infection can help reduce anxiety.”

“This is also a tremendous opportunity for adults to model for children problem-solving, flexibility and compassion as we all work through adjusting schedules, balancing work and other activities, getting creative about how we spend time, processing new information from authorities, and connecting and supporting friends and family members in new ways.”