Parents knowingly send child to school after he tests positive for COVID-19

The student and his parents knew he tested positive, but he went to school anyway.

Sep 17, 2020

A parent in Massachusetts willfully put other kids at risk of catching the coronavirus just by sending her son to school.

According to CNN the mayor and superintendent at Attleboro Public Schools say a mother whose identity they have chosen to conceal let her son go to school knowing he’d tested positive for COVID-19.

“The parents knew he should have not done that, he knew he should have not done that, we are six months into the pandemic,” says mayor Paul Heroux.

Now 28 students who came in contact with the student are required to stay home and quarantine for 14 days.

As U.S. Prepares To Cross 200,000 Covid-19 Deaths, A Pandemic Landscape Endures In New York — Seniors at a Brooklyn High School wait in line to return books and get their schedules for the year on September 14, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. While New York’s infection rate is currently below one percent, the U.S. as a whole stands at more than 6.7 million confirmed cases and nearly 200,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19, making it the world leader in both. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The teenager who tested positive came to school on Monday but failed to tell the school their test results until the next day. The student’s mother said she thought it was OK for the student to attend classes because the test results came in on Friday, September 11, so they figured the weekend would be enough days to quarantine.

But Heroux did not agree with the family’s strategy.

“The parents used very poor judgment, it’s very frustrating,” Heroux said. “The school department did everything they were supposed to do.”

When the high school superintendent, David Sawyer learned of the positive test results, he sent a letter to families Tuesday night informing them of the situation. He believes the district is doing all they can to stop the spread of the virus but says it’s almost impossible to stop it completely.

A student at the school, Iza King told WCVB News, “I think that is very frightening because he put everybody’s health in danger and put everybody at risk.”

Heroux asks that parents keep their children home if they have tested positive or are waiting results.

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