Dozens of administrators attended a school reopening meeting in California. One of them tested positive for Covid-19

Dozens of administrators from a California school district are in self-quarantine after attending an in-person meeting last month where an attendee tested positive for coronavirus.

Santa Clara Unified School District Superintendent Stella Kemp said given the complexity of the plans for re-opening, the June 19 meeting of principals and administrators was held in-person with the option to attend via video conference.

Six days later on June 25, Kemp told the school board that an attendee at that meeting tested positive for Covid-19. She said the meeting location was cleaned and sanitized and all attendees were quarantined as directed by the county health department and were being tested for the virus.

“To date and to my knowledge, no other members of our team have tested positive,” Kemp told the board. “This is exactly the dilemma that every district is facing now, we’re trying to best figure out how to keep our staff and students safe. I know there are people out there who question every decision we make but the reality is there is no roadmap for this pandemic.”

At that meeting, school board trustee Vickie Fairchild said she received several panicked calls from teachers about the June 19 meeting.

“Frankly, I was surprised because what I heard other school districts doing, that we had a meeting of over 45 people when I think indoor meetings are recommended to be about 10,” she said, before recommending that the district check with the county before having any large meetings.

“I can’t imagine being the person at the meeting and being exposed,” she said.

Another trustee raised similar concerns.

“If we are having problems keeping our staff safe, that does not send a good message to our families,” said trustee Jodi Muirhead. “So, I want to caution that we go overboard in our efforts of safety, that we do more than we need to, that we do everything remote wherever possible.”

District spokeswoman Jennifer Dericco said Kemp meant that the administrators are sheltering in place when she said they were quarantined.

“The report that 40 administrators have been quarantined is completely inaccurate,” Dericco told CNN. “Additionally, we do not have administrators that have tested positive for Covid-19, as a result of being present at the meeting.”

On Tuesday, more than a week after the June 19 meeting where staff members were exposed, the Santa Clara County Health Department released its guidelines for school reopening in-person instruction. The guidelines include stable cohorts, small class sizes, students spaced six feet apart or place barriers between students, face covering requirements, and cleaning protocols.

The Santa Clara Unified School District, meanwhile, has not released its plan for the fall school year.

The Santa Clara County Health Department told CNN that the Santa Clara Unified School District is just one of 31 public school districts in the county.

“The health order currently in place allows local governments to conduct essential business in-person, and to decide for themselves what is essential. Our recommendation has always been that to the extent possible, meetings should not be in person and should happen virtually,” the department said in a statement.

CNN is requesting clarification if the attendee had been asymptomatic at the meeting and how many people attended and quarantined afterward. CNN is also requesting more information from the school board and the district teacher’s union.