Several students at Oak Park and River Forest High School have contracted the coronavirus after attending a large gathering at a home where mask-wearing and social distancing weren't observed, the district superintendent said in a letter to the school community Thursday.
While it's not known exactly how many students attended the gathering, Oak Park and River Forest Supt. Dr. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams said a total of 24 current students tested positive for the virus from Aug. 15 to Sept. 9.
In her message to the school community, Dr. Pruitt-Adams pleaded with students to stop engaging in risky behaviors.
"They put not just you and your families, but our entire community at risk," she said.
The superintendent also reminded the community that anyone who has been in close contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 should self-quarantine for 14 days and asked individuals to cooperate with contact-tracing efforts.
"I understand that sharing information about unsafe behavior may be uncomfortable and embarrassing," she said. "But providing details about whom an exposed person has been with, for how long, where they were, etc., is essential to stopping the spread of COVID-19."
Oak Park and River Forest High School started the school year with remote learning on Aug. 19.
