Principal who was at work Friday died Sunday after COVID diagnosis, Texas school says

A Texas principal who tested positive for the coronavirus died two days after he was at school, officials say.

Burnet Middle School Principal Jeremy LeJeune went to work Friday and didn’t feel sick, officials say. But that changed over the weekend when he was hospitalized.

LeJeune suffered from a rare blood vessel disorder that had previously required hospital admissions, Superintendent Keith McBurnett said in a letter to students and families. Though he was asymptomatic, the hospital discovered LeJeune was positive for COVID-19 during the admission process, McBurnett said. By Sunday evening, LeJeune had died.

“It is likely that the virus exacerbated his condition,” McBurnett said.

The cause of LeJeune’s death was not released. The coronavirus is known to cause blood clots and strokes even among young, healthy people, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Because LeJeune was at work just days before his death, the school district was contact tracing on Monday.

“At this time, we do not believe that any students, staff, or visitors will be considered close contacts because safety protocols were followed carefully,” McBurnett said.

On Tuesday, the district announced the middle school would be conducting remote classes through Dec. 14 due to the number of employees who must quarantine, KXAN reported.

“With the loss of Mr. LeJeune, and now these quarantines, Burnet Middle School cannot be operated safely with adequate student supervision,” McBurnett said in a letter obtained by the news outlet.

LeJeune was involved in education beyond the school district about 55 miles northwest of Austin. He was president-elect of the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Executive Board and the 2018-2019 principal of the year in the district’s region.

“Mr. LeJeune loved his family very much,” McBurnett said. “He was a devout Christian, an avid UT football fan, and he loved being principal of Burnet Middle School and serving the staff and students there.”

In Texas schools, nearly 41,000 students and 24,600 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the state.

This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Principal who was at work Friday died Sunday after COVID diagnosis, Texas school says."