NEW CASTLE—At least 66 students and five teachers at Riverside Middle School in New Castle will be spending the next two weeks at home after someone tested positive for COVID-19. According to reports from the Garfield RE-2 District Office, officials were alerted about the situation late last night. As a result, Riverside Middle School has transitioned to several online classes during the 14 day quarantine period. Despite the best efforts to implement and enforce health guidelines, officials say students in secondary schools have more class options, cohorts and close contacts making it impossible to assess all classroom interactions. In the meantime, the district and Riverside Middle School are working closely with Garfield County Public Health to conduct contact tracing.
