Baltimore City Schools CEO Dr. Sonja Santelises says there are no serious outbreaks of COVID-19 in city schools and the school system is prepared to deal with outbreaks. But a parent of a young student fighting for her life now is questioning one city school's response to COVID-19.
That mother and other parents that FOX45 talked to say that, while they were alerted about those positive COVID cases, those alerts came too late. Now a mother believes her daughter is paying the price.
Parents and multiple sources alerted FOX45 about the outbreak of COVID-19 at Cherry Hill Elementary-Middle School, with a teacher and up to 10 children testing positive for the virus.
One of those students is 12-year-old Janiya.
Her mother Jacorey Barney says her daughter is in the hospital fighting for her life, with acute kidney failure and other serious ailments because of COVID. Barney believes her daughter was exposed to the virus at her school.
Barney says her daughter was put in the hospital last Saturday. The next day, she got a call from the school, telling her that her child had been exposed.
"She ended up getting sick and the symptoms just got worse," said Barney. "I honestly did not know that she was exposed until it was too late. We were already here at Johns Hopkins [Children's Hospital.]"
A spokesperson for the district confirmed late Thursday night that they have 10 positive COVID cases at Cherry Hill. They say they're working with the school's administration to identify all close contacts.
School officials also say they're hopeful for a swift and full recovery for Janiya.