A Colt Andrews Elementary School teacher tested positive Thursday for the Covid-19 virus, and several staff members at the Bristol elementary school are currently in quarantine for 14 days.

Bristol Warren Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jonathan Brice confirmed the positive test at a school committee meeting Thursday night. He said the case did not originate at the school, where teachers have been preparing for the start of the academic year over the past several days.

School officials were contacted about the positive test by the Rhode Island Department of Health at about 10 a.m. Thursday. Through contact tracing among other staff members with whom the infected teacher had close contact, the “several” staff members were placed in quarantine. Dr. Brice did not give an exact number. How the positive test and quarantines will impact the opening of school is uncertain, Dr. Brice said Thursday evening:

“Can we re-open Colt Andrews? We are looking into that,” he said. “Right now I’m unable to say exactly what our plan is going forward. We do not have a solution at this time; this just happened today. But we are going to work on it.”

One Colt Andrews teacher said the positive test gives her pause and should be a warning that the district should start the year with distance, not in-person, learning. Coupled with tight spacing among students and teachers, she said, the risk is too high to welcome students and teachers back on Monday, Sept. 14.

“We don't want to be playing Covid roulette with our students and staff,” first-grade teacher Jillian LaFazia said. “I urge (school committee members) to allow our administration to do a phased-in approach so they have the time that they need to ready our classrooms. The stakes are so high, and we want to make sure that it’s safe to go back, (and that) we get it right.”