Nearly 500 COVID-19 Cases Linked To IL Schools: See Where

ILLINOIS — With more students currently receiving in-person instruction than any time since March — and at a time when coronavirus cases are again starting to spike — school leaders, parents and teachers have been calling on state health officials to release more specific data regarding COVID-19 cases in the state's schools. The state does not make that information public, but some databases, including one by the National Education Association, show that at least 481 cases have linked to schools across the state since early August.

You can see the full list here.

In addition, according to a recent report from ProPublica, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 44 outbreaks in school buildings across the state. But state health officials would not say where the outbreaks, which affected 105 students and 75 employees, occurred.

The Illinois Department of Public Health and local health departments do release statistics regarding outbreaks in long-term care facilities, prisons and those under the age of 20 infected with COVID-19 in each county. In addition, some school districts, including Crystal Lake Elementary District 47 and New Trier Township High School District 203, have started posting positive cases in schools on their websites.

More transparency is needed, said officials with the Illinois Education Association, which represents 135,000 teachers throughout Illinois. The IEA has called on the Illinois Department of Public Health to identify schools with verified outbreaks. State health officials refer to an outbreak as two or more confirmed cases within 14 days of the start of symptoms in people who do not share a household and did not have close contact in another setting.

“From the start, we have said schools should only open if they can do so safely — with all the appropriate safety precautions in place — and knowledge of an outbreak in a school building absolutely meets that criteria,” said Kathi Griffin, president of the Illinois Education Association, in an Oct. 8 statement. “The number one goal of everyone should be the health and safety of students and those who educate and care for them.”

More than 1,800 public schools were operating in person, at least part-time, as of early October, and Illinois is among the minority of states that does not share data on COVID-19 outbreaks in schools, according to ProPublica. Some states that do include Ohio, Indiana and Mississippi.

“How is a community supposed to decide whether to return to the classroom if they don’t know the true impact this is having across the state? Health officials inform communities when nursing homes or jails have outbreaks because it impacts those who live and work there. Certainly, communities are entitled to know about outbreaks at schools. It shouldn’t even be a question,” Griffin said.

The Illinois Department of Public Health, as well as local health departments, cite privacy concerns — and a fear that students or staff members would be identified — for their reluctance to share that information publicly.

"Obviously we want to be as transparent as possible and get information out that people can use. That's why we have on our website the county-level data. That way, counties can make their own decisions about what they want to do," IDPH spokeswoman Melaney Arnold told ProPublica. "We've certainly received a lot of interest in this data. We've received interest from many different groups."

Databases showing which Illinois schools have had positive COVID-19 cases, such as the NEA database, cull information from media sources or rely on schools or the public to volunteer COVID-19 stats. The NEA tracker is the brainchild of Kansas teacher Alisha Morris, who began developing it in early August.

Since then, the project has expanded, and the NEA has taken the reins. Morris started building the database on Aug. 6, she told NPR in a recent interview. It was initially based on news reports going back to July 1, she explained.

Most of the school cases are linked to extracurricular activities, including sports, as well parties and small gatherings. Because of this, the NEA list is "by no means comprehensive," and the list creators suspect many more cases are likely occurring and linked to schools. You can see the full list here.

Over the past week, COVID-19 cases have started to spike again at a time when many schools across the Chicago area are moving from remote learning to hybrid schedules.

• 4,554 New Coronavirus Cases As IL Breaks Record For 2nd Day
• Illinois Coronavirus Update Oct. 19: 347,161 Cases, 9,214 Deaths

Leaders in some counties, including McHenry and Lake counties, say this spike, unlike the one in March and April, is not tied to long-term care facilities but instead likely linked to a variety of causes, including social gatherings and people dining inside at restaurants.

• COVID-19 In Region 9: More Restrictions Could Be Coming This Week

In Lake County, the local health department did release information surrounding an outbreak this past summer that infected at least 36 Lake Zurich High School students. Many of the students were identified during health screenings at athletic camps at the high school on July 6, and health officials believe many of the students were exposed to the virus while at multiple social gatherings.

• 36 Lake Zurich High Students Test Positive For COVID-19

Meanwhile, health departments rely on schools to provide information regarding positive coronavirus cases. Local health officials can then conduct contact tracing and provide guidance on which people should quarantine.

“We know there are districts in our state that are being very good about notifying public health officials, staff and families when there are cases and that keeps communities safe,” Griffin said. “But we also know there are districts that aren’t. And, when those cases are kept in the dark, the appropriate people can’t quarantine. The infection spreads. Students, staff and communities are put in harm’s way. Everyone is struggling on how to handle this, but transparency is key.”

It's not clear how many schools have actually shut down or switched to remote learning because of the coronavirus, but a number of Patch school districts have reported cases that have caused changes to their plans, have resulted in students quarantining or have lead to changes in school activities or sporting events:

• St. Michael School COVID Case: First Grade Class Quarantined: A student tested positive for the coronavirus at St. Michael School in Orland Park, resulting in a first grade class quarantined.
• Joseph Bernardin School: 19 Students Quarantined After COVID Case: The Catholic school said a second grade cohort is quarantined after a student tested positive for the coronavirus.
• 3rd COVID-19 Case Confirmed At Andrew High School: Principal: In a possible coronavirus cluster, a third coronavirus case was reported at the D230 school in just eight days.
• Middle School Cross-Country Team Sidelined By Coronavirus: The team from Batavia's Rotolo Middle School was forced to cancel an award ceremony Tuesday after a coach or student tested positive.
• Online Classes Until 2021 For East Aurora Schools Due To Pandemic (Oct. 12 article): The positivity rate in the district's main ZIP code is often twice or triple Illinois' rate, leading officials to delay in-person classes.
• St. Charles Cheerleader Tests Positive For Coronavirus: Report: The team's coach told cheerleaders to stop meeting in large groups after learning of the positive test.
• D303 Schools Report Coronavirus Cases In First Days Of New Year: Officials did not say whether the positive tests were from students or district employees.
• District 158 Athletes Test Positive For COVID-19: Members of the freshman boys basketball and freshman boys football teams were told to quarantine.
• Students, Staff Test Positive For COVID As D300 Mulls Reopening
• 1 Person At Lundahl Tests Positive For Coronavirus: District 47 began teaching with a hybrid model earlier this month and students and staff who've had close contact with the student were told to quarantine at home.
• COVID-19 In McHenry Co.: More Restrictions Possible This Week: A surge in cases led to at least one school district, Woodstock's District 200, delaying its move to a hybrid learning model.
• Dist. 218 High Schools To Remain On Remote Learning Indefinitely
• Highland Park High School Student Tests Positive For Coronavirus: For the first time, administrators announced a student in District 113 has COVID-19. Three staffers have contracted the virus so far.
• First District 112 Staff Member Tests Positive For Coronavirus: "At this juncture, we should not be surprised when presumed positive or positive test results are identified within our community," district officials said.
• 4 Coronavirus Cases Reported In District 115

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