WCS COVID-19 Case Status Report

WCS COVID-19 Case Status Report

Weekly Case Report(s)

Superintendent's Informational Video

Walker County Schools is monitoring the state of public health in our schools and will report the updated total number of active COVID-19 confirmed, positive cases and the current total numbers of individuals quarantined for the week. This will be updated and posted here every Friday by 5:00 p.m. This data will reflect all reported cases and quarantines through the end of the business day on the preceding Thursday.

We will notify students’ parents/guardians and employees whenever there is a confirmed positive COVID-19 case at their school. If a student’s exposure to a student or employee who has tested positive meets the Department of Public Health’s requirements for mandated precautionary quarantine, parents/guardians will be immediately advised; the same notification will be made to employees who meet these requirements. A precautionary quarantine does not mean that an employee or student is sick or will become sick, but is a Department of Public Health-mandated practice, fully supported by WCS, to best ensure the safety of the student or employee, as well as those teaching and learning around them.

Students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 or who have recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19 must not return to school until they meet the Department of Public Health’s Return to School Guidance After COVID-19 Illness or Exposure.

Students who have recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19 will transition to virtual learning during their DPH-mandated quarantine.

Additionally, students and staff must not come to school with a fever of 100.4 or higher, and must not come to school until they have been fever-free, without the use of fever-reducing medication, for at least 24 hours.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.

FAQs

Q: “I’ve heard there’s a case at my school, why isn’t it in the total?”

A: Our process is to confirm, contact trace, and notify those who need to quarantine, send out schoolwide notification, and then list current (not cumulative) totals to this page every Friday. Also, please note that the counts include confirmed, positive cases and quarantines from direct exposure.

Q: “I know someone who has been absent for more than a week. Is this a positive case we have not been made aware of?”

A: All extended absences are not positive cases. Many situations (another illness, an injury, staying home with a quarantined child, etc.) could cause absences of multiple days.

Q: "Why does the quarantine period seem to be shorter than 14 days from when parents were notified about a case?"

A: The 14 days start at the point of the last exposure as determined by contact tracing, NOT the point of notification. For example, Student A is in close proximity to Student B on a Friday for an extended period of time. On Saturday, Student A starts feeling ill. Parents choose to seek medical treatment for Student A on Monday and a COVID test is performed. Student A stays home from school during this time, and a positive test result is received on Wednesday, which triggers contact tracing and schoolwide notification. Student B was determined to be exposed within the 48-hour window of the onset of illness, and must quarantine for 14 days. The start of the quarantine is the last exposure on Friday, NOT the day of notification on Wednesday.

Q: "I know a student or teacher who is having to quarantine, but I don’t see a case reported at their school. Why not?"

A: The Department of Public Health establishes guidelines for quarantine from all places of exposure--not just at school. Many cases of quarantine results from exposure in a setting outside of school, such as a family member, recreational sports, church, etc.