No, this Tacoma school is not under quarantine. Districts fight coronavirus rumors
Tacoma Public Schools officials are fighting circulation of false information after a rumor circulated that students at Baker Middle School were rushed to the hospital with coronavirus symptoms.
The district posted a screen shot of the social media post on its Facebook page Wednesday.
The false Snapchat post claims, “A Tacoma District school by the name of Baker Middle school, had students who were rushed to the hospital after teachers report seeing students show symptoms of COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus. They also say students and staff will be quarantined.”
The district was quick to strike down the rumor.
“This is NOT true,” the district stated.
The district asked people to report to Facebook if they see any similar posts.
“False information can spread quickly, causing fear and confusion in our community,” the district stated on its website.
District spokesman Dan Voelpel said the district does not know where the post originated.
There are no Tacoma Public Schools closures at this time, and the district would only do so if the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department recommends it, Voelpel said.
In the event of a closure, families would hear through the normal channels used for inclement weather: robocalls, emails and its official website.
Tacoma Public Schools isn’t the only district fighting rumors.
The Bellevue School District shared on Wednesday that someone impersonated Superintendent Ivan Duran and posted that schools would be closed from March 5-19.
“That post is not correct,” the Bellevue School District shared on Facebook. “No decisions have been made to close schools at this time.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 4:56 PM.
