Four more Wake County schools report COVID-19 cases
Four Wake County schools reported new coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 10 cases at eight schools this week.
Principals at West Millbrook Middle School in Raleigh, Alston Ridge Elementary School in Cary, Cedar Fork Elementary School in Morrisville and Kingswood Elementary School in Cary notified families Thursday that people associated with their schools had tested positive for COVID-19.
West Millbrook families were told by principal Kelly Aman that a person who tested positive had last been on campus on Monday. Alston Ridge families were told by principal Niko Schutte that a person who tested positive was last on campus on Friday, Oct. 23.
Cedar Fork families were told by principal Che-Von Stone that two people living in the same household had tested positive.
Kingswood families were told by principal Sherry Schliesser that a person had tested positive. The people who tested positive at Cedar Fork and Kingswood were last on campus on Tuesday, the day after some Wake County elementary students returned for in-person instruction for the first time since March 13.
Due to privacy laws, the principals did not say whether the people who tested positive are students or school employees.
The five new cases announced on Thursday mean there are now at least 10 COVID-19 cases announced this week at eight Wake County schools. Two schools have multiple cases from people living in the same household.
The school district has created an online dashboard listing COVID-19 cases, but the information is only updated through Wednesday. Wake County is North Carolina’s largest school district with 160,000 students at 191 schools.
Three of the schools with coronavirus cases are high schools where people associated with athletic teams tested positive. Another is at a Raleigh elementary school where the person who tested positive was last on campus on Tuesday.
Alston Ridge also resumed classes on Monday. But Oct. 23 was a teacher workday when the person who tested positive had been on campus.
Like other Wake middle schools, West Millbrook’s students are only taking online classes. School employees are required to be on campus, though.
Wake is notifying families and staff via email and text whenever a confirmed case of COVID-19 is reported at their school or administrative office.
Schools are using the same form message telling people that they’re working with the Wake County Public Health Division to identify and notify anyone who may have been in close contact with the person who tested positive.
The message also tells families that the person who tested positive won’t return until certain requirements are met and areas at school that may have been exposed to the virus will be thoroughly cleaned.
This story was originally published October 29, 2020 at 9:43 PM.
