article

Montgomery County Public Schools is notifying parents after learning some of its students volunteered at a retirement home potentially exposed to coronavirus.

Montgomery County Schools Spokesperson Gboyinde Onijala tells FOX 5 that Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) was made aware by the county’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that multiple students who attend Robert Frost Middle School in Rockville, Maryland volunteer at a large nearby retirement community called The Village at Rockville.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan warned the public Friday of potential coronavirus exposure at that Rockville retirement community. State health leaders learned one of the three Montgomery County patients who tested positive for Coronavirus had attended a public event at the retirement community on Friday, February 28th. FOX 5 learned that event was a Shiva, a traditional Jewish gathering to mourn the death of a community member.

Onijala tells FOX 5 it is believed that the middle school volunteers who visited the retirement community, were there days after the Shiva. Montgomery County DHHS Chief Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles says there is no specific concern for students who visited the retirement home after the Shiva.

County health officials and MCPS are working to track down what schools were involved, where the students were and when.

School officials sent a notice to parents at Robert Frost and other schools possibly connected:


By Saturday afternoon, MCPS confirmed both the Robert Frost Middle School and Thomas S. Wootton High School communities received the letter.

Directors of the retirement community sent FOX 5 a letter informing the greater community that according to the Maryland Department of Health, the risk to exposure is low.

Maryland’s Department of Health posted detailed guidance online for what those potentially exposed should be monitoring.