A parent of students in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District tested positive for the new coronavirus, according to an email to parents from Superintendent Alex Cherniss on Friday, March 13.

The parent has students at Silver Spur Elementary School and Valmonte Early Learning Academy, the email reads.

The report has not been verified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cherniss wrote in the update, but the parent told the district they were notified by a local hospital that they tested positive for the novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19.

COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019, is caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms associated with the respiratory disease, which appear two-to-14 days after exposure, include fever, a cough and shortness of breath. While most people — including healthy young adults — will experience mild symptoms, the disease can be severe and possibly fatal for at-risk groups, such as the elderly and those with other health problems.

Cherniss said in a Friday phone interview that the district will not provide more information or comment about the case to avoid violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, commonly known as HIPAA.

The district announced in an email late Thursday that it would close all schools from Friday, March 13, to April 3 and will reopen April 6.

A wave of other districts, including Los Angeles Unified School District, followed suit Friday.

Students will receive online remote instruction until campuses reopen.

“We’ve been training for this in-depth over the last couple weeks,” Cherniss said.

Students should be able to easily transition back into in-person instruction once schools reopen, he added, and teachers are prepared to continue online instruction if the time is extended.

“We’re going to look at all ways to support kids,” Cherniss said, including if students need an alternative to the school lunch program. “Whatever we can do, that would be great.”