Positive COVID case at Kirkland middle school determined to have 53 close contacts in King County

KIRKLAND, Wash. - The Lake Washington School District (LWSD) is investigating a positive COVID case at Kamiakin Middle School in Kirkland.

The school received a report on Monday, Sept. 6, that an individual tested positive for COVID-19. An investigation by the LWSD Emergency Coordination Center in conjunction with school administration and district leaders identified 53 close contacts at this time.

"A bunch of students had to stay home," said student Cullen Cadriel. "There were some kids who said there were only like five people in their class because of this stay home stuff."

The close contacts involved in the case were both inside the school building and on one of the buses. 

"Because we are early in the school year, we are still developing our seating charts for buses, which is making that part of the investigation incomplete at this time," said spokesperson Shannon Parthemer.

The investigation is ongoing, and the number of close contacts could increase or decrease based on the results.

"I was a bit concerned and shocked when we found out that there was someone who did in fact catch a case," said student Layla Cadriel. "Stuff like the halls or like the lunchroom gets really crowded at certain hours of the day, and it is a bit worrying because I feel there could be more people who have been exposed but we don’t necessarily know."

The family of each student will work with the Medical Coordinator to determine when the student can come back to class, according to Parthemer, each situation is different and the goal is to get students back to the classroom as soon as it’s safe to do so. 

Principal Tim Patterson of Kamiakin Middle Schoo sent a notice to families that said in part: 

"The district’s multi-barrier approach is in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. We have been following all of the protocols that the district has laid out in its COVID-19 Safety Plan, and we are confident that our response to this specific situation will continue to keep our students and staff safe while in our building. For more information about the LWSD COVID-19 Safety Plan, please visit the LWSD website."

The district is expecting to have an update on the confirmed number of close contacts stemming from this case later this week. 

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