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More than 630 local public school students were reported in quarantine because of possible COVID-19 exposure last week, and 56 new COVID-19 cases were identified in local students.
That’s according to the most recent available data from Genoa-Kingston, DeKalb and Sycamore schools.
COVID-19 case and quarantine data released by local schools is provisional, with most recent statistics varying by district.
There is a 6.8% seven-day positivity rate within DeKalb School District 428 communities, including DeKalb, Malta and Cortland. From Nov. 6 through Nov. 12, one employee tested positive for COVID-19 and 11 students contracted the virus in the DeKalb School District. No employees were quarantined, however 432 students were in quarantine districtwide.
According to enrollment numbers from the most recent available Illinois Report Card data, DeKalb School District’s quarantine rate is about 6.7% of its student body population, which was 6,412 in the 2020-2021 school year.
As of Monday in the Sycamore School District, 35 students tested positive for COVID-19, with 43 students excluded in quarantine because of close contact and 122 additional students in quarantine. Six employees tested positive for COVID-19, and six employees were excluded. Sycamore School District’s quarantine rate is about 4.7% of its student body of 3,533, according to the most recent available enrollment data.
The most recent data for Genoa-Kingston School District is as of Nov. 10, which includes statistics from Oct. 29 through Nov. 9. According to a social media post by Superintendent Brent O’Daniell, 10 students tested positive for COVID-19. There are 33 students in quarantine. Six staff members tested positive for COVID-19, and one employee is in quarantine but did not test positive. According to enrollment data, that means about 2.2% of Genoa-Kingston School District’s student population of 1,480 is in quarantine.
Each school district updates its COVID-19 reports at least once a week. In DeKalb, data is collected each Friday and will be updated on the district’s website each Monday, according to the website. In Sycamore, the COVID-19 online data page is updated weekly. Genoa-Kingston’s data is released weekly via a Twitter post from O’Daniell and also is shared on the district’s website.