Report: COVID-19 rises among Oswego School District students, staff over holiday week

Case numbers have been updated in this story

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 increased among Oswego School District 308 students and staff during the district’s Thanksgiving break.

Updated metrics provided by OSD308 Nov. 30, showed that cases among district staff more than doubled from six to 18 during the week of Nov. 22-28. Ten cases were reported among district elementary schools, including two cases at Churchill Elementary School, Fox Chase Elementary School, and Wolf’s Crossing Elementary School. One case was reported at each Grande Park Elementary School, Homestead Elementary School, Lakewood Creek Elementary School and Long Beach Elementary School.

Two positive cases were reported at Thompson Junior High School, while one positive case was reported among staff at Plank Junior High School and Traughber Junior High School each. Three cases were reported at Oswego East High School, while one positive case was reported at the district’s Pathways/Transitions building and at the District Administration Center.

The number of staff members placed in exclusion also increased during the Nov. 22 - 28 period, from eight to 16. The district defines exclusion as students and staff who are a close contact to a known case of COVID-19, closer than 3 feet with masks in school or 6 feet apart without a mask or exposure not based in school for a total of 15 minutes or longer in a 24 hour period. Symptomatic individuals are not included in exclusion metrics, unless they test positive or are named as a close contact.

Staff members in exclusion came from: Fox Chase Elementary School, Grande Park Elementary School, Hunt Club Elementary School, Homestead Elementary School, Old Post Elementary School, Prairie Point Elementary School, Southbury Elementary School, Bednarcik Junior High School, Plank Junior High School, Traughber Junior High School, Oswego East High School, and Oswego High School.

The number of positive COVID-19 cases among OSD 308 students increased during the Nov. 22-28 period, from 38 during the week of Nov. 15-21, to 48 cases. 28 cases were reported at the district’s elementary schools, while 12 cases came from junior high schools and eight were reported at the district’s high schools.

Seven cases were reported at Hunt Club Elementary School, while five cases were reported at Southbury Elementary School. Three cases were reported at each Grande Park Elementary School, Homestead Elementary School, and Wolf’s Crossing Elementary School, while two cases were reported at each Churchill Elementary School and Fox Chase Elementary School. One case was reported at each Boulder Hill Elementary School, Lakewood Creek Elementary School, and Old Post Elementary School.

Seven positive cases of COVID-19 were reported at Traughber Junior High School, while three were reported at Murphy Junior High School. One case was reported at both Bednarcik Junior High School and Plank Junior High School. Five cases were reported at Oswego East High School, and three at Oswego High School.

Old Post Elementary School, which went to remote learning Nov. 19 - 23 due to an increase in positive cases, dropped to one case during the Nov. 22-28 period as the school was closed.

A total of 133 students were placed in exclusion during the period of Nov. 22-28, an increase from the previous week’s total of 104 students. Eighty-one elementary students were placed in exclusion, while 30 were placed from junior high schools, and 21 from the district’s high schools. One student from the district’s GOAL program was placed in exclusion.

The district, the seventh largest in Illinois, has an enrollment of more than 17,000 students.