Almost 25 percent of Ripon High’s student body is in quarantine due to exposure to a COVID-19 positive individual.

Students at Ripon High had returned to in-person learning a week ago Monday

But in a matter of days, Ripon Unified and school officials saw their worse-case scenario realized when a student, who eventually tested positive for COVID-19, impacted 213 classmates and six teachers. All of them  had to be quarantined based on California Department of Public Health guidance.

“This one case throughout a three-day period resulted in the exposure of seven classes of students,” said Principal Keith Rangel in his letter to families.

The incident – this coincided with the recent Regional Stay-at-Home Order – took place last Wednesday. The following day, an emergency school board meeting was held. Trustees unanimously voted for Ripon High, with the exception of those in the Career Technical Education classes, to temporarily return to distance learning effective this week.

The reason for that, Rangel said, was “due to the challenging logistical issues this created with the number of teachers and substitutes required in order to follow the county protocols currently in place.”

He added: “This pandemic continues to be a fluid situation, and we are committed to our students.

For now, Ripon High officials say the plan is to remain on distance learning until the end of December.

“We will continue to frequently monitor the data,” said Rangel.

RUSD addressed the situation via website (www.riponusd.net).

“It is our goal to return students to our high school campus as soon as safely possible,” Superintendent Ziggy Robeson said.

She indicated that the district is continuing to work closely with the San Joaquin County Public Health Department for support and assistance along with CDPH – many procedures and protocols have been put in place to ensure the safety of staff and students.