Unit 3 staff member tests positive for COVID-19

HARRISBURG - Harrisburg Unit 3 school district announced Friday morning that a high school staff member had tested positive for COVID-19.

"We were notified of a high school staff member being positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, Sept. 17. The staff member is symptomatic and the last day the staff member was in the building was on Tuesday, Sept. 15," Harrisburg Unit 3 Superintendent Mike Gauch said in a letter to parents.

"The district immediately called Egyptian Health Department and started a tracing investigation with the teacher, nurse and administration. After that investigation, it was found that two other staff members were considered 'close contacts' and those staff members have been notified. The health department did not identify any students who were considered a 'close contact' due to the mitigation plan that was in place," the letter continued.

On Monday, Gauch said that while it is unfortunate that a staff member tested positive, it was not unexpected. Earlier in the week, the district notified parents and guardians that a first-grade student at West Side School tested positive for COVID-19. That student was asymptomatic, and had not attended since Friday, Sept. 11. Three other students were considered close contacts after an investigation by Egyptian Health Department and school officials.

Gauch said he feels that the school's mitigation plan is working as effectively as it can in such situations.

"When we find this out, immediately we get on the horn to Egyptian Health Department and Illinois Department of Public Health, and we do all the coordination and follow all the guidelines we have in place," he said. "I think it's been monumental in containing it the way it has. It's not to say something won't come up where we discover a glitch in our process, but we're being very proactive and taking every precaution."