An Update from the Medical Director and the Director of Health Services

Dear Hotchkiss Families,

As you know, all students who arrived on campus for the start of School were required to provide written documentation of a negative test result for COVID-19. In accordance with our planned process, we then administered student tests between September 4 - 7. We write today to share information on the results.

We tested all students on campus using a PCR test through Tempus labs. Today, we received the first batch of results, and one student has tested positive. Additional results are expected over the coming days. The fact that we had a positive result is not unexpected given the large number of tests that were administered. We are following School protocols, outlined below:

The family of the affected student was notified immediately.
The student has been moved to dedicated, on-campus isolation housing in the Health Center isolation section, which is located on the second floor of Wieler dormitory. The student is receiving appropriate care until the student can be picked up by a family member or designated proxy.
The School has initiated on-campus contact tracing, notification, and mandatory quarantine procedures for close contacts. Anyone on campus who is deemed to be a close contact with someone who tests positive will be notified through this process. The families of students determined to be close contacts will immediately be notified. These students will then be escorted to designated quarantine space until they can be picked up by a family member or designated proxy.

Hotchkiss is identifying "close contacts" using the CDC definition of a contact: "Someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 48 hours before illness onset until the time the patient is isolated." In the case of an asymptomatic person testing positive, we will evaluate contact beginning 48 hours before the positive test.

Please also note that the School conducted two rounds of testing for employees two weeks before student arrival. One staff member who lives off campus tested positive. The employee immediately began isolating at home and did not return to campus until cleared to do so by the Health Center. This individual reported no symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of notification. No close contacts beyond the individual's household were identified during the contact tracing process.

Given the nature of the virus, we do expect further positive test results, and we have planned for this. The families of any students who test positive will immediately be notified. We will keep the broader community informed through weekly updates on both the Parent Portal and Student Portal. In accordance with applicable privacy laws, the School will not release any personally identifying information regarding cases of infection.

We are all in this together, and we thank you for your continuing support.

Jared B. Zelman, MD, FACEP, P'04

Medical Director

Danielle Shippey, RN

Director of Health Services

The Hotchkiss School, 11 Interlaken Road, Lakeville, CT 06039-2141, (860) 435-2591