OBSERVER Photo by Anthony Dolce The Fredonia school board met last week as Superintendent Dr. Bradley Zilliox gave an update on the school’s COVID-19 protocols.

Over the last few weeks, COVID-19 cases have been spiking in many different places, and the Fredonia Central School District is no exception. Fredonia Superintendent Dr. Bradley Zilliox said that there have been “a number” of quarantines in that time frame.

With that in mind, Zilliox assured the board and the rest of the public that in-person learning is still at the forefront of the district’s vision. The school continues to use PPE, masking, distancing, sanitizing, staff testing, and contact tracing to help minimize the spread of the virus.

“Certainly the virus has ramped up in our district,” Zilliox said. “Please know we continue to prioritize in-person learning. That’s really what we talked about at the beginning of the school year.”

Zilliox said they are still working closely with the Chautauqua County Health Department and are reporting their cases to the public as soon as they can to keep the rest of the district members and Fredonia residents as safe as possible. While Zilliox understands the inconvenience and frustration that comes attached to potential quarantines, he noted the medical staff at Fredonia is just doing their job to the best of their ability.

“There is a degree of frustration and disappointment when a student or adult needs to be quarantined,” Zilliox said. “Please know, our nurses are following the guidance that has been established and they are just the messengers in this process.”

Zilliox said any concerned parent or district member should contact him or the building principals should there be any questions about quarantines, and again stressed that the district is doing their best to keep students in school for the best potential learning experience.

“We are just trying our best to stay positive and continue in-person learning for our district,” Ziliox said.