Close Contact and Quarantine 2020—Arrowhead Students Forced to Attend School Virtually

At Arrowhead, as of October 4, 2020, 352 students were in quarantine among the 19 confirmed cases, according to the Arrowhead website. As of October 7, 189 students are now quarantined and there are 15 confirmed cases.

With the first month of the 2020 school year over, Covid-19 cases in the area have been rising, according to the Waukesha Health Department. Along with that, a number of Arrowhead students who have been contact traced have been forced to quarantine for the 14 day period and learn virtually until that period is over.

Grace Talbot, a junior at Arrowhead, said, “I got an email Sunday night saying that I couldn’t come back to school on Monday.” This sudden change happened before she could even go back to school so anything leftover in her locker had to stay in her locker and she could not go into the school to grab it, which she says was “very frustrating.”

Another student, Kailey Wille, a junior at Arrowhead, got pulled out during the school day. She said, “When the teacher came into my chemistry class, I knew that I was going to be pulled out.” Wille had a little bit of time to go to her locker, before she and the other close-contact students had to exit the school.

When students are pulled out, they are taken to the front office and told that they have to begin their 14 day quarantine and have to start learning virtually.

Josh Trunk, a junior at Arrowhead, also had to quarantine. He said, “It was just annoying because I knew I wouldn’t be able to participate in soccer for a while.” Trunk did know who he was around that contracted Covid-19 but preferred not to say.

 Kailey Wille said, “I was more annoyed than ever because I knew I had to work around being pulled out and being online.” 

Talbot also said, “I felt very sad knowing that I’d have to spend the next two weeks in isolation.”

With the sudden change to students, they have to now alter their whole schedule to fit around it, not being able to participate in sports, and not being able to see their friends, among other things. 

With the amount of students being sent home, some students are choosing to stay virtual. Talbot has chosen to stay home, at least for a little longer, just to make sure she is safe for the sports she is involved in, which is the Hawkettes dance team. 

Even though students were not necessarily prepared to quarantine, with the amount of students being sent home, students believe that it is just a matter of time before it happens to them. 

There are many different reasons why students are now choosing to attend school virtually after being sent home; some students say they prefer virtual learning, or say they are doing it to stay safe so they do not risk catching Covid-19. 

As Talbot said, “Make sure to stay connected with family and friends during your self-quarantine because it is important to talk to others so you are not completely isolated during the two weeks. I found ways to stay connected while still socially distancing myself from others such as FaceTiming friends.”