Gretna High School has traced a surge of over 40 cases back to a large gathering on Oct. 3, prompting testing at the school on Thursday.
According to the superintendent, a parent hosted a non-school sanctioned homecoming party that has revealed 40 positive cases so far.
“Kids want to be kids, and you know, they want to have an as normal senior year junior year as they can. We obviously didn’t have a homecoming dance, etc., just because we knew better — knew that would be a potential widespread event,” said Dr. Rich Beran, Gretna Public Schools Superintendent. “It doesn’t surprise me — it’s disappointing.”
Once the students get tested, they return to class and continue their school day.
In a letter issued to parents, GHS outlined a partnership with the Sarpy/Cass Health Department in response to the surge.
“This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen cases tied to larger group gatherings,” SCHD Director Sarah Schram said.