Dear Hopewell City Public Schools Families,
As a follow-up to the message on Friday evening regarding the closing of Patrick Copeland Elementary School for today, we want to provide an update. A complete and thorough cleaning of the school has now been completed. We have been in communication with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to conduct contact tracing and anyone identified as needing to quarantine has been notified.
VDH has recommended that we re-open the school tomorrow for the staff and the child care program and so Patrick Copeland ES will be open again tomorrow morning.
We regret any inconvenience today's closing may have caused. The positive case on Friday happened so late in the day there was not adequate time to do the appropriate cleaning and contact tracing we feel is necessary in order to have had the school open today. While the school building is re-opening for Tuesday, the recent cases are a reminder of the importance for us all to be vigilant.
Please remember that attendance at school for any function, whether it is when certain students are invited to return to in-person learning, coming to school for academic testing, or anything else is a family option. We fully respect the concerns of families who wish to continue learning at home for safety, as we also are striving to serve families who wish an in-person option as the community health conditions allow.
Dr. Hackney and Dr. McClain