Attleboro High Student Sent To School With Coronavirus 'Makes No Sense,' Baker Says
BOSTON (CBS) – A day after it was revealed that an Attleboro High School student went to school knowing he had coronavirus, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said local communities should decide the punishment in such cases.
The unidentified student went to school Monday after testing positive for the virus. Word didn't get out until late in the day and once contact tracing was done 30 classmates were forced into quarantine for 14 days as a precaution.
Attleboro Mayor Paul Heroux said no one was to blame except the teen's parents for putting other students and staff at risk.
"It simply makes no sense and put others at risk, to send children who are known to either have respiratory symptoms to begin with, or COVID to school. Doesn't make any sense at all," Baker told reporters at a news conference in Roslindale Thursday.
"If you're sick, or if your kid's sick, you or they should stay home. I mean, the good news is, we haven't had many incidents of that kind of thing."
When asked if students should be expelled for going to school knowing they have COVID-19, Baker said, "That's up to the local community to decide. That's their call."