Mid-Pacific Institute has postponed the return of high school students to campus for one week after an administrative staff member tested positive for COVID-19.

The employee had no contact with students, and no faculty were considered close contacts, according to a message to the school community from President Paul Turnbull. The staffer, who has no symptoms, is isolating at home, and some colleagues are also quarantining at home as a precaution.

Elementary and middle school students are already back on campus and are not affected. High school students, who have been learning virtually, are now tentatively scheduled to return to school starting with freshman orientation on Nov. 9, followed by other grade levels that week.

“In this case, the potential for employee absences could affect our ability to effectively run high school operations at full capacity, which necessitates a delay of the return to high school on-campus learning by one week,” Turnbull wrote in the email Tuesday afternoon. “We appreciate your patience and understanding as we follow the procedures put in place to keep our community healthy and safe.”