BATON ROUGE - While East Baton Rouge teachers who've returned to campus to conduct virtual classes for their students follow COVID-19 guidelines set by the school, even with these precautions, the risk of accidental exposure to the virus remains an ever-present possibility.

Teachers at McKinley High School saw the reality of this last Thursday, when the school shut its doors after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. 

School officials reacted swiftly, taking measures to implement a deep cleaning and keeping all staff/faculty off campus until Monday.

Students were not affected by the situation as the high school, like all East Baton Rouge Parish schools, is offering virtual-only instruction until at least Labor Day.

But it was a different story for the staff.

Most of McKinley's staff has been working on campus since August 3. So last Thursday and Friday, teachers had to instruct from home, instead of in their usual classrooms on campus.

Other staff members on campus who were in contact with the person who tested positive were directed to quarantine at home for 14 days.

So, on Monday as teachers and staff return to campus, it's likely that some will take extra safety precautions in addition to those mandated by school officials. 

Despite any lingering trepidation, many educators at McKinley High and other EBR public schools have made their students a top priority; it's this mindset that gives them the courage to return to virtual classrooms, whether from a home-based computer, or from a computer on campus.