Four weeks into the school year, COVID-19 cases reported to Alachua County Public Schools continue to rise. This week, 128 people are in self-isolation, according to the district dashboard.
As of Friday evening, reported active staff cases were up by four, and there were six more active student cases from one week ago. High schools now have a higher concentration of cases, mirroring some scientific reports that older children like teens can spread the virus as much as adults.
At a Tuesday Alachua County Commission meeting, Paul Myers, administrator at the county health department, said schools haven’t had any secondary transmission cases, meaning that the virus hasn’t spread from a student to a teacher or vice versa.
However, district totals have increased by eleven student cases and three staff cases from Monday to Friday, according to the ACPS COVID-19 dashboard. Cases reported on the dashboard are active cases in students or teachers who attend in-person classes that get tallied into a district total each day.
There are 10 active staff cases and 20 active student cases — an increase from last Friday’s numbers of 6 active staff cases and 14 active student cases. This brings district totals to 32 student and 23 staff cases since the beginning of the school year.
There are staff cases at Hidden Oak, High Springs, Littlewood and Newberry Elementary Schools. Norton and Talbot Elementary Schools show half a case, which means a staff member who splits times at two schools has the virus. There are also active student cases at Irby, Newberry, Parker and Wiles Elementary Schools.
For middle schools, there is a staff case at Hawthorne and two student cases at Bishop and one at Kanapaha.
Buchholz High School has five active student cases, as well as one staff case. Newberry High School has five student cases and two staff cases. Eastside, Gainesville and Santa Fe each have one student case.
