Cheyenne Mountain High School shuts down due to COVID-19 outbreak
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A COVID-19 outbreak has prompted Cheyenne Mountain High School to shut down. The school system intends to switch to remote learning for the next two weeks amid the outbreak.
District 12 Superintendent Dr. Walter Cooper said contact tracing tied some of the positive COVID-19 cases to a local restaurant and a club sports team.
Cooper also told 13 Investigates that contact tracing efforts led the school system to discover that a large number of students attended an off-campus party and the students involved were required to quarantine after attending. The superintendent said that he wasn't aware of any coronavirus spread connected to the event as of Monday morning.
Several parents contacted KRDO frustrated that a student party was held during a pandemic.
13 Investigates has learned that the party was hosted on the property of Diana May, who is the chief legal officer for El Paso County.
May confirmed that an outdoor gathering of 33 students occurred on her property and that one of the students who attended later tested positive for coronavirus.
May sent this statement to KRDO Monday afternoon.
"Based on the information I have, any assertion that our COVID compliant outdoor gathering was responsible for all or any of the cases at Cheyenne Mountain High School is false. Any other rumors along that same line of reasoning is likewise false.
As an attorney, former prosecutor, and County Attorney, I believe we all have the obligation to honor the law. That is why when a small group of parents approached me to find a way to have a modest outdoor gathering while following state and local COVID guidelines, I figured I was in a good position to help. This group of kids socialize together in some formation in sports, social events, family events, religious events, and personal events daily. This was a small supervised celebration for a small group of CMHS kids who socialize together in some formation daily.
On Friday, October 23rd, nearly a week after the event, one parent informed the other parents that their child felt symptomatic the Monday or Tuesday after the event and had just tested positive. At this time, my understanding is that there is no evidence of transmission or spread from the outdoor event on our property."
But some parents like Marti Markus believe holding a gathering with that many students is a disregard for public health.
"For parents who know better, high school students who know better to do this and have such a ripple effect among all these other students and parents. It's just so disheartening," Markus said.
Markus is hopeful the high school COVID-19 outbreak doesn't continue to spread and force more closures.
"We have a six-year-old who is also in the district and I am scared to death that this is now going to show up in the elementary school," Markus said.
The El Paso County Public Health Department said it is working closely with the school district to investigate the outbreak and hopes to have more information on Tuesday.
Remote learning will start Tuesday and in-person classes are expected to resume on November 9, according to the school.
