GREENFIELD — When news broke that a student at Greenfield Central Junior High School had tested positive for COVID-19 on the first day of school, the story for a time made international headlines.
A number of major media organizations, many of which referred to Greenfield-Central Schools as one of the first districts in the country to start the 2020-21 academic year, jumped on the story because of its novelty.
A student, who was tested for COVID-19 before the first day of classes on Thursday, July 30, learned of the positive result partway into the school day. The school corporation responded with its COVID-19 protocols, which included sending the student home to isolate and reaching out to those the student was in close contact with so they could do the same.
Superintendent Harold Olin said he’s spoken about the case with journalists from Newsweek, The New York Times, CNN, The Indianapolis Star, NPR and Indianapolis television news stations.
A web search also turns up references to the case in articles from USA Today, CBS and The Guardian in London.
Olin, who’s in his 22nd year as a school administrator, said he’s never experienced anything like it. It’s not unusual for Indianapolis media outlets to cover significant stories in Hancock County. This was different.
While he’d much rather talk about positive things regarding Greenfield’s schools, he said he recognizes Midwestern schools are starting earlier than those on the coasts and understands the uniqueness of Greenfield’s situation, adding that people are curious about how schools respond to a COVID-19 case.
“Our event isn’t going to be that unique when you get a month down the road, but right now it is,” he said.
Olin hopes the story ultimately puts communities at ease knowing that things are going well at the junior high school regardless of the case.
“I’m hoping it creates some peace rather than stir things up,” he said.
The school has made some adjustments since infection was reported, Olin continued. The contact-tracing process reinforced the importance of social distancing, he said, motivating school officials to replace lunch tables with about 150 student desks, allowing kids to space out more in the cafeteria.
It’s one modification in what will continue to be an ever-evolving situation, Olin said.
“And we will continue to do that,” he said. “We’re going to learn from others that are going through this as well.”
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COVID-19 Data
Hancock County
- 623 cases
- 37 deaths
- 9,764 individuals tested
- 6.4% positivity rate
- 7 new cases on Aug. 2
- 0 new deaths
- 115 new individuals tested between July 17 and Aug. 1
- 5.1% seven-day positivity rate between July 21 and 27
Indiana
- 68,433 cases
- 2,780 deaths
- 775,482 individuals tested
- 964,378 administered tests
- 8.8% positivity rate
- 582 new cases between July 31 and Aug. 2
- 5 new deaths between Aug. 1 and 2
- 6,470 new individuals tested, 8,964 new tests administered between June 12 and Aug. 2
- 7.4% seven-day positivity rate between July 21 and 27
Source: Indiana State Department of Health as of 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2
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