(March 18, 2020, 4:50 p.m.) -- The LB Health Dept. has notified parents and/or guardians of children attending LBUSD's Willard Elementary School (1055 Freeman Ave. in LB's Zaferia neighborhood) that their child, and/or the parents/guardians themselves, may have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus at the school.

The March 17 letter, signed by LB Health Offier Dr. Anissa Davis and posted on the school's website, states in pertinent part:"You or your child may have been exposed to COVID-19 at the school from March 12-13" [emphasis in original.] "Beause of this, the the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department), is informing parents and staff at Willard Elementary about COVID-19 and how to best protect your families and prevent the spread of the disease." It then describes measures parents/guardians can take in response.

The letter doesn't say how or under what circumstances the possible exposure may have occurred.

As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, on Friday March 13, a few hours after the Los Angeles and San Diego school districts announced they were shutting down, LBUSD Superintendent Chris Steinhauser announced that LBUSD was closing down operations at its schools efffective Monday March 16 through April 20.

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Willard's website says the school has an enrollment of approximately 700 students, 75% of whom are Hispanic. It has 26 certificated teahers, K-5, 2 Reading Recovery Teachers, 2 Intervention Specialists, 1 1 Resource Specialist Teacher (RSP) plus a School Counselor School Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist, School Librarian and School Nurse.

Willard Elementary is in LB's Zaferia neighborhood (4th Council district) a little over a block south of Anaheim St. and a little over a block west of Redondo Ave. It's within the LB School Board District represented by School Board President Juan Benitez.

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An early version of this story included a typo indicatng its date was March 17 when it is March 18.

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