COVID-19 cases reported as school year starts
Along with students, teachers, books, pencils, backpacks and such, COVID-19 has returned to DeSoto County Schools (DCS) in just the first two days of classes for Mississippi’s largest public school district.
DCS has again started to report weekly the number of cases and quarantines found in the student population, teachers and staff.
This year, DCS is reporting students who self-reported COVID-19 who were not on campus, students with positive cases at school on the two days school was in session, Aug. 5-6, student quarantines that were self-reported, and students who were quarantined due to close contact at school.
As of the end of the school day on Friday, Aug. 6, a total of 99 students had self-reported cases and were not in school for the first two days of classes. Another nine students tested positive for coronavirus at school.
The weekly report totals 172 student quarantines in DeSoto County Schools that were self-reported and who were not in class on Thursday or Friday. Forty students were placed in quarantine after close contact with a positive case in school.
Nineteen school staffers among all of the schools last week had a positive COVID-19 test.
DeSoto Central High School and Horn Lake Middle School had the most self-reported numbers for cases from students who did not attend class with eight each.
Hernando High School had two student positive cases in its building and seven other schools had one positive case each.
Among quarantine numbers, there were 14 self-reported students in quarantine who were not in class at Pleasant Hill Elementary School in Olive Branch and there were 11 at Hernando High School. Pleasant Hill also had the most number of quarantines of students who came in close contact with a positive case while in class last week.
DeSoto County Schools, in its report, reminds readers that it is possible to have quarantine situations on a campus without a confirmed student case. These situations occur as a result of a close contact with an employee. The weekly report will also be different from numbers the Mississippi State Department of Health may report on schools through its website.
School districts report the cases and quarantines of students who have attended classes. The additional information regarding students who have not attended classes is being provided as a service to district parents.
You may read the complete report on the DeSoto County School District website.
You want kids in schools but refuse to put things in place to keep kids in school???
Close the schools down. Or make an option for parents to do virtual. My four children are in quarantine due to Covid. We have not been sick in any form but as soon as school opens we get sick (with Covid-19).
My son goes to one of the the schools in Olive Branch and now he has an upper respiratory infection I took him to the doctor this morning these teachers and the governor don’t care about the kids they just want the money that was given to them to keep the schools open and get all of the kids back into the schools they need to go back on virtual what if it was their kids who was sick I bet then they will change their minds but look at what’s happening now.what ,they are waiting on so many to die first.then the teachers are keeping it hush hush so that they can keep working.
Close the school, my grandson has only been in school for 2 weeks and now he has Covid. It’s only going to get worse and out of control. This pandemic is far from over. I would hope to keep them safe instead of playing with their lives.