Freeport Area School District on Thursday confirmed that a high school football coach tested positive for covid-19.
The school will not be closed because of the case, but Freeport officials said Friday’s football game against Valley has been canceled and the district was considering shutting down football activities for two weeks. The football team did not practice Wednesday after learning about the exposure.
Official plans were still being organized as of Thursday afternoon after a group of football players were quarantined.
“Right now, we’re not playing Friday against Valley, and I don’t think we’ll be playing next week against East Allegheny,” athletic director Shawn Stivenson said. “We are just following what the department of health gave us to do; we are following their guidelines and their advice.”
It is unclear whether the football games will be made up this season, but Stivenson said he has been in contact with Valley athletic director and football coach Muzzy Colosimo and East Allegheny athletic director David Loya about the possibility.
“We’re in constant communication, and we’ll do what we can,” Stivenson said. “We’re definitely going to try our best, especially to get the kids the games they deserve to play.”
District officials said affected areas are being thoroughly sanitized as a precaution.
All students who were identified as close contacts — meaning they were within six feet of the individual for at least 15 minutes — were notified. Stivenson said a football players who came in contact with the coach were under quarantine.
The state Department of Health is leading contact tracing investigations and making isolation and quarantine recommendations.
District officials urged parents to screen their children for symptoms of covid-19 before school daily. Students who are sick should not go to school.
The Freeport football team joins a growing list of teams that have had to cancel games because of covid-19 exposure. Late Wednesday night, the Clairton football team announced it was canceling a Saturday matchup with Bishop Canevin in response to “several athletes showing symptoms that may be related to covid-19.”
