All public schools in Framingham, Massachusetts, will close down on Thursday after dozens of students at Potter Road Elementary were apparently exposed to the coronavirus.
"I actually hope they extend it through Friday," said Framingham parent Cyndie Aga. "I think one day is not enough. Get in there, clean out the schools and let the kids stay home through the weekend, at least."
School officials say they learned Wednesday morning that a parent at Potter tested positive for the virus.
"This individual has a child who attends Potter Road Elementary School. The child presented this morning with mild symptoms of an infection," said Dr. Robert Tremblay, Framingham's superintendent.
That child not only attends Potter, but rides the bus with classmates as well as students from Hemenway Elementary.
"There's an identified group of students who may have been potentially exposed to the COVID-19 and those families are being contacted directly," Tremblay said. "Those students will need to be in quarantine for 14 days."
According to Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer, 77 students and 18 adults were potentially exposed. That list includes teachers, the bus driver and the school nurse.
The district has now decided to close all of Framingham Public Schools for a day of deep cleaning.
All schools are set to reopen on Friday, but district officials will announce updates on the district's Facebook page at noon Thursday.
