Virus case counts climb in local schools

COVID-19 cases among students have increased in local schools.

Cape Girardeau School District reported 56 active positive cases among its 4,475 students Thursday. The district totaled 28 cases Sept. 1.

Student cases at the Jackson School District rose by 18 cases since the Southeast Missourian's last update on Sept. 1. The district currently totals 35 active cases out of its 5,728 students.

Five students have tested positive for COVID-19 at Notre Dame Regional High School, according to principal Tim Garner. Five of the high school's 440 students are quarantined.

Cape Girardeau School District is currently the only local district requiring students, staff members and visitors to wear face masks. The district reinstated a mask mandate last week after five days into the new school year to diminish the amount of students sent home to quarantine.

Cape Girardeau School District had more than 300 students in quarantine last week, according to an Aug. 31 statement from the district. Currently, 360 Cape Girardeau School District students are in quarantine.

As of Thursday afternoon, 189 Jackson School District students are quarantined.

Jackson Middle and Orchard Elementary schools share the highest quarantine totals within the district. Thirty-six students are quarantined in each building. Thirty-five students who attend South Elementary are quarantined.

Quarantine procedures

A fully-vaccinated student at Cape Girardeau schools masks for 14 days if a person they stay within six feet of for longer than 15 minutes tests positive for COVID-19.

Cape Girardeau school administrators ask unvaccinated students to quarantine for 10 days if they come in close contact with a positive case. Students may return to school if they remain asymptomatic and test negative for the virus within five to seven days of their quarantine.

Cape Girardeau students who test positive for COVID-19 quarantine for at least 10 days. A contact tracer determines quarantine lengths, according to a flowchart on the district's website.

Jackson School District's safe-return-to-school plan states all students must be screened by a guardian prior to their arrival at school.

Jackson administrators direct any Jackson students with COVID-19 symptoms or a temperature over 100 degrees within the last three days to stay home.

Jackson students who come in close contact with a positive COVID-19 case are asked to quarantine for 10 days from the date of contact and monitor their symptoms. If a symptomatic student tests positive, 10 days must pass since the onset of their symptoms in order for the student to return to school.