Mr Conway said the school distributed an online notice on Wednesday with the heading 'Three Way Interviews', advising that a staff member had been in contact with a confirmed case and was on leave to be tested and wait for the results.

"In an effort to further create social distance across the school community it has been decided to postpone the planned Three Way Interviews that were scheduled for next week," it said.

The notice arrived the same day Tighes Hill Public School families were told a member of the parent community "who has not engaged in any of our regular classroom or school activities" returned a positive test.

Mr Conway said he understood the Kahibah staff member, who he said taught one of his grandchildren, had informed the school and went on leave on Tuesday. He picked up the siblings from the school that afternoon and said there was no indication about the possible exposure. His grandchildren were kept home on Thursday.

A Department of Education spokesperson told the Newcastle Herald on Thursday they did "not have a response" about the Kahibah case.

Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Learning Jodie Harrison said "at this time of great uncertainty in the community, schools and early childhood learning centres need clear protocols for how to manage, and notify on, any instance relating to Covid-19".

"People want to do the right thing," she said.

"Clear and consistent protocols and advice from the state government will go a long way towards calming the panic in our community."

Mr Conway said he was concerned "that as grandparents and parents we weren't told immediately so we could make our own judgements based on our knowledge".

"This is an extremely virile virus and many many people are in a dangerous cohort being grandparents, over 60, involved in caring for kids before and after school."

Mr Conway said the staff member appeared to have done the right thing and he understood may have been turned away from testing because they didn't have symptoms, but insisted on a test.

But he said he was concerned about the "innocuous" heading of the school's notice, saying many families may not have opened it.

"I'm extremely disappointed at the lack of transparency," he said. "We're being led to believe it's a minor issue at the school. It clearly isn't."

Less than 10 kilometres away, Tighes Hill principal Tony Selwood said via Facebook late on Wednesday night the school would be open on Thursday "as NSW Health have been able to complete their contact tracing process with the school this evening".

"The school has also been cleaned in accordance with NSW Health advice, ready for school to resume on [Thursday]."

Mr Selwood provided further details on Thursday, saying the parent wasn't involved in any class groups, but was part of the school's kindy club on March 10.

"People assessed as being a close contact of the parent concerned have been identified by NSW Health and been given medical advice," he wrote.

"NSW Health has also assessed a number of casual contacts of the parent, and those people have been provided with appropriate medical advice.

"If your family have not been contacted with information about being either a close contact or a casual contact, NSW Health has decided your child has had no connection with the parent when the parent was at the school."

But several parents, including Kristy Nicol, chose to keep their children home.

Ms Nichol has two children at the school and a 17-month-old son. They spend a lot of time with her father-in-law, who has lung problems, and her parents, who have some health issues.

"It's in the same building as my children," she said.

"They could have brushed past the person, used the same toilet, touched the same door handle. It can stay on an item for quite some time. I'm finding it a little bit too close to home."

She had questions about the cleaning that took place after families picked up children on Wednesday at 3pm and when Mr Selwood sent out the notification around 8.30pm.

"I just hope they cleaned the place properly," she said.

"Who cleaned it, what did they clean it with.

"I don't understand how they cleaned the whole school in that amount of time.

"I understand the person didn't walk through the whole school, but a child could have touched the same door handle and then touched another door, and then a different child could have touched that door."

Ms Nichol said some teachers and about half of the students didn't attend on Thursday.

"There are about five classrooms being used out of 15."

She said she would keep her children home on Friday and reassess what to do on Sunday night. They are doing homework available online.

She said she believed all schools should have closed already.

"I don't think it's anything to do with the principal, I don't know if it's the department who holds the strings, but they could have closed till Monday."

She echoed calls for the government to issue a shut down date.

"It's not going to get better anytime soon," she said.

"We need a date, for them to say 'We will shut two weeks before the holidays'.'

Meanwhile, Diocese of Maitland Newcastle Catholic Schools Office director of schools Gerard Mowbray told staff, parents and students on Wednesday that following consultation and government advice Catholic schools would remain open for normal classes until April 9.

"We now look forward to a settled last four weeks of the term." The Independent Education Union's Therese Fitzgibbon said the statement was "premature given no-one can predict where we will be in a week, let alone four".

She has sought advice regarding arrangements for "high risk" members; uncertainty for casual staff; and a lack of cleaning and personal protective equipment.

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