Marin County DA reviewing COVID outbreak at school

CORTE MADERA, Calif. - Marin County prosecutors are reviewing the case brought to them by county offials against the parents who knowingly sent their COVID-infected child to school, the Marin County Independent Journal first reported.

The child attends Neil Cummins Elementary in Corte Madera and went to school during the week of Nov. 8 after testing positive for COVID.

Six other students tested positive at the same school after exposure. The alleged breach of public health protocols led to the infection of eight children and 10-day quarantines of 75 students at Neil Cummins Elementary School over the Thanksgiving break, the IJ reported. 

"As in all cases, we are bound by legal obligations to make sure we can prove a law was violated at a standard of beyond a reasonable doubt before proceeding forward," said Marin County District Attorney Lori E. Frugoli in a public statement.

"We are also bound by ethical standards not to talk about the details of a case," she continued. "This could take some time, so I am urging everyone to have patience. Justice is designed to seek the truth and cannot be hurried."

Charges could include failure to comply with the state quarantine order. Violations could result in a fine or criminal prosecution as a misdemeanor, according to the state statute.

The parents have reportedly apologized and said they didn't understand COVID safety rules.

But Dr. Matt Willis, the county’s public health officer, said the parents declined to follow orders to keep their infected child home for 10 days. Willis told news outlet CNN that the parents gave "inaccurate information" to school and county authorities which "led to a prolonged interval of exposure" to the virus.

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