HARDIN — The Hardin school district middle and high school sports season was suspended for two weeks Saturday after administrators were notified about "multiple" students having tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 28.
"According to the Big Horn County Health Department, these positive confirmations may have a large impact on students/staff that may have been in contact with these students during possible periods of exposure," read a statement posted Saturday on theschool district's Facebook page.
The infected students last had in-person contact with other students and staff on Aug. 27, according to the post. The post has no mention of how many students are infected.
Earlier in the week, one student tested positive for COVID-19 in the Hardin school district.
The Big Horn County Health Department or Indian Health Service Public health will perform contact tracing and identify people who may have been exposed.
On site classes are still happening under the planned schedule for the next week, according to to the post.
Starting Aug. 28, the middle and high school fall athletic programs will be "interrupted," according to a letter from Eldon Johnson, superintendent of the Hardin school district.
Johnson called on students and athletes to practice social distancing, wearing masks "to help preserve school and their respective seasons."
"We feel it is vitally important that we take this opportunity to stress the importance of the seriousness of what we are facing and if we are to have any chance of a sports season and keeping our ability to offer on site education, observing safe COVID-19 practices is no longer a choice but rather a must throughout our entire community," Johnson wrote.
He encouraged families to follow the instructions of the Big Horn County health department if they get placed in quarantine or isolation and asked families to keep their students home if they are sick.
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