26 COVID-19 Outbreaks At IL Schools, 546 Schools With Exposures

Chicago IL

01 September, 2021

11:45 AM

Description

ILLINOIS — Students are back in class across the state, but that doesn't mean things are back to normal. Even with new mask mandates in place, 25 Illinois schools have reported 26 COVID-19 outbreaks in recent weeks, including schools in Cook, Lake, Kane and Will counties. The Illinois Department of Public Health defines an outbreak as two or more COVID-19 cases among people from different households who may have had a shared exposure, such as at school. Secondary infections, such as when a student transmits the virus to their parents after catching it at school, are not included in the outbreak. One school, Stillman Valley High School, is on the list twice for two separate outbreaks. In total, state health officials say 9,058 school-age cases were reported for the week ending Aug. 21, including 2,512 cases among children age 5-11 and 2,674 among those age 12-17. Not all those cases are linked to exposure at schools, officials said. Another 3,872 cases were reported among people between the ages of 18 and 22; those may include, but are not limited to, high school and college students. In addition to the 26 outbreaks, the state says 546 schools reported potential exposures in the past 30 days based on contact tracing. That does not include Chicago Public Schools, which tracks cases independently. As of Aug. 14, CPS had reported 487 cases among students and 1,467 among staff districtwide. In all, school-age infections have risen nearly 9 percent over the last two weeks and almost 29 percent over the last month, according to state health department data. Weekly cases among school-aged children (Illinois Department of Public Health) Most of the school outbreaks reported fewer than five cases. A notable exception was Carlyle School District in the Metro East, which voted last month to defy the governor's mask mandate. Carlyle School reported more than 16 cases tied to a single exposure, state health officials said. Schools that do not comply with the mask mandate risk losing their state funding and the ability to compete in Illinois High School Association and Illinois Elementary School Association sports. "I understand the pressure some school and district leaders may be facing from community members, and I will provide you with every support to understand, communicate, and comply with the order," state education Superintendent Carmen I. Ayala said Aug. 11 in a letter to district superintendents. "However, noncompliance is not an option. I will not compromise the health and safety of students or staff, nor will I risk even one child's life." RELATED: Mokena Junior High Principal Tests Positive For The CoronavirusHundreds Of Local Students In QuarantineMask Mandate, Teacher Vaccine Requirement Expected In IL: Reports2 Students Hospitalized With COVID-19High School Students Walk Out To Protest Mask Mandate Schools reporting outbreaks include: Ben-Gil Elementary School (K-12), GillespieFewer than 5 cases among studentsSource: Classroom Bicentennial Elementary School (K-12), Coal ValleyFewer than 5 cases among studentsSource: Classroom Brown County High School (K-12), Sterling5–10 cases among studentsSource: Sports Carlyle School (K-12), Carlyle16+ cases among studentsSource: Classroom Central Junior High School (K-12), BellevilleFewer than 5 cases among staff and studentsSource: Classroom Centralia Junior High School (K-12), CentraliaFewer than 5 cases among staff and studentsSource: Sports Colona Grade School (K-12), Colona5–10 among staff and studentsSource: Classroom East Aurora School District 131 (K-12), AuroraFewer than 5 cases among staffSource: Classroom Evangelical School (K-12), Godfrey Fewer than 5 cases among studentsSource: Classroom Geneseo High School (K-12), GeneseoFewer than 5 cases among studentsSource: Classroom Glenbrook Elementary (K-12), Streamwood11–16 cases among staff and studentsSource: Classroom Highland Elementary School (K-12), Downers GroveFewer than 5 cases among staff and studentsSource: Classroom Kaneland John Shields Elementary (K-12), Sugar GroveFewer than 5 cases among staff and studentsSource: Classroom Maine East High School (K-12), Park RidgeFewer than 5 cases among studentsSource: Classroom Nelson Ridge School (K-12), New LenoxFewer than 5 cases among studentsSource: Classroom Oak Park River Forest High School (K-12), Oak ParkFewer than 5 cases among studentsSource: Classroom ROWVA High School (K-12), OneidaFewer than 5 cases among studentsSource: Classroom Reavis High School (K-12), BurbankFewer than 5 cases among studentsSource: Sports Reed-Custer Elementary School (K-12), Braidwood5–10 cases among staff and studentsSource: Classroom Seneca Grade School (K-12), SenecaFewer than 5 cases among staff and studentsSource: Classroom Staunton Community USD #6 (K-12), Staunton16+ cases among staff and studentsSource: Classroom Stillman Valley High School (K-12), Stillman ValleyFewer than 5 cases among studentsSource: Sports United Township High School (K-12), East MolineFewer than 5 cases among studentsSource: Classroom Williamsville High School (K-12), WilliamsvilleFewer than 5 cases among studentsSource: Sports Woodland Elementary School (K-12), GurneeFewer than 5 cases among studentsSource: Classroom