Porter's Chapel Academy will reopen school Monday; daycare remains closed - The Vicksburg Post

Porter’s Chapel Academy will reopen school Monday; daycare remains closed

Published 1:36 pm Saturday, November 14, 2020

After a thorough cleaning, students and faculty at Porter’s Chapel Academy will return to school on Monday.

The school and the Porter’s Chapel Academy daycare closed last Wednesday after a student and family tested positive for COVID-19.

“We used an electrostatic sprayer to disinfect our whole facility and wiped down all the high traffic areas. We just did a deep cleaning of our school,” Porter’s Chapel Head of School Chris Williams said.

Williams said the daycare will remain closed until Nov. 24 because of COVID-19 protocols from the state.

“A staff member at our daycare tested positive for COVID and because of that the Mississippi State Health Department mandated a quarantine for our daycare,” Williams said.

A PCA student, who is related to the daycare staff member, also tested positive for COVID, Williams said. A a person who had been in close contact with the student tested positive as well.

While they are exhibiting symptoms, Williams said, no one has been hospitalized and all are expected to make a full recovery.

In addition to those testing positive, Williams said, there are others who will remain quarantined for a 14-day period through contact tracing.

“We are taking this very seriously at PCA and we do believe through contact tracing we have identified all who were exposed to the positive cases and we do feel it is safe for our students and staff to return on Monday,” he said.

Up until last week, PCA had been fortunate to not have anyone test positive for the virus since the school year began in August.

“This is just a bump in the road. We have been very fortunate up until this point and we know that the Lord had a hand in that and just because we have had one case of COVID does not mean he is still not watching over us,” Williams said.

He added that the school has remained in prayer for those affected and are trusting God to continue to protect the students, faculty, and staff.

“We will trust in the Lord as we move forward,” he said.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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