Beaufort Elementary staffer tests positive for COVID-19 after working in building

A Beaufort Elementary School staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 after working in the school building, Beaufort County School District spokesman Jim Foster confirmed Wednesday.

The staff member, a woman, exhibited no symptoms, Foster said.

While the school has been closed to students since March 16 and will remain closed through the end of the school year, some staff members have been working in the building while practicing social distancing, according to Foster. The building has been cleared, and “will undergo extensive deep-cleaning before safely reopening.”

“The school has postponed the collection of student devices, as well as pick-ups of students’ personal materials, until the building reopens,” Foster said in a press release. “A small number of people who might have been exposed to the staff member have been instructed to self-quarantine and get tested for COVID-19.”

Parents at Beaufort Elementary School have been notified of the case via email and social media, Foster said.

This is the first confirmed coronavirus case for a district employee. In March, prior to school closures, a teacher at Beaufort High School was tested for coronavirus “out of an abundance of caution” and self-quarantined while waiting for the results. The test came back negative.

As of Tuesday, Beaufort County had 299 reported cases of coronavirus, and could have as many as 1,837 undiagnosed cases, DHEC officials say.