7 Hudson Valley Schools Close After Confirmed Cases of COVID-19

The list of local schools closing due to COVID-19 continues to grow.

On Wednesday, Saugerties Central School District Superintendent Kirk Reinhardt confirmed two students from Grant D. Morse Elementary School and four students from Riccardi Elementary School were designated positive for COVID-19.

The New York State Department of Health automatically designates anyone who is sick with symptoms of COVID-19 and does not get tested as designated positive.

"17 students and 14 staff members at Morse and 43 students and 21 staff members at Riccardi have been identified to be in proximate contact with these individuals and are now mandated to quarantine for 14 days from the last day of exposure. The school has notified these individuals already and the Ulster County Department of Health will be following up. If you did not receive a phone call, your child was not considered to be in proximate contact with the students designated positive," Reinhardt said.

Due to the high number of faculty and staff who have been mandated to quarantine the school district is now pivoting three schools to 100% remote learning.

Grant D. Morse Elementary School is full remote until Monday, Nov. 9. Riccardi Elementary School is remote until Tuesday, Nov. 10 and Mt. Marion Elementary School is 100 percent remote until Thursday, Nov. 5.

A Mt. Marion Elementary School student was designated positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, according to Reinhardt.

On Wednesday, The Wappingers Central School District learned that a person within the Gayhead Elementary School Community tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, Oct. 25. As a result, Gayhead Elementary School was closed on Thursday.

A spokesperson from the Beacon City School District confirmed to Hudson Valley Post someone at Beacon High School tested positive for the virus. As a result, the high school will shift to online learning until at least Monday, Nov. 2.

On Tuesday, Hudson Valley Post report two schools in the Wallkill Central School District are closed until at least Nov. 9 after a John G. Borden Middle School student tested positive for COVID-19.

The student was last in attendance on Oct. 21. 23 students and 13 staff members were identified to be in close contact with the student who tested positive and will be mandated to quarantine 14 days from the last date of exposure, officials say.

Due to the large number of faculty and staff who have been mandated to quarantine at middle school and Wallkill Senior High School, both schools will be closed for about two weeks.