A record 80 new COVID cases were reported in the past week at these 56 Wake schools
The Wake County school system is reporting a record number of new COVID-19 cases at the same time some other districts are temporarily suspending their in-person classes.
Wake County reported Thursday night 80 new confirmed COVID-19 cases over the past week at 56 schools. Staff accounted for 47 of the new cases, with 33 cases among students.
This week’s total is more than the 68 cases reported last week and part of a trend of more cases being reported weekly. It comes at a time when the state is seeing record levels of new cases, leading to a new statewide curfew that goes into effect at 10 p.m. Friday.
Wake is an “orange” county in the state’s COVID-19 alert system, meaning “there’s “substantial community spread.”
The statewide and local increases have caused some districts, like Johnston and Granville counties, to switch to online only classes for a month. Several other nearby districts, including Durham, Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Orange County, have been operating with only online classes this semester.
Wake school leaders say that, for now, they’re continuing with in-person instruction in elementary and middle schools. The district says none of the new cases are linked and that they’ve been able to control the spread of COVID-19 in schools.
The district has reported 299 cases since Oct. 26, when the first students began returning for in-person instruction.
Since Oct. 29, Wake has reported 184 cases among staff and 110 among students.
Schools with reported cases
Cases have been confirmed this past week at these Wake schools:
▪ Apex Friendship Middle (1 student)
▪ Apex Friendship High (1 staff, 1 student)
▪ Baucom Elementary (1 student)
▪ Brassfield Elementary (1 student)
▪ Brier Creek Elementary (1 staff)
▪ Broughton High (1 student)
▪ Bryan Road Elementary (1 staff)
▪ Conn Elementary (1 staff)
▪ East Garner Middle (1 staff)
▪ East Wake High (2 staff)
▪ Forest Pines Drive Elementary (1 staff, 1 student)
▪ Fuquay-Varina Elementary (2 staff, 1 student)
▪ Fuquay-Varina High (1 student)
▪ Fuquay-Varina Middle (2 staff)
▪ Green Hope Elementary (2 students)
▪ Green Hope High (1 staff)
▪ Harris Creek Elementary (1 staff)
▪ Herbert Akins Elementary (1 staff)
▪ Heritage Elementary (3 students, 1 staff)
▪ Heritage Middle (1 staff)
▪ Highcroft Drive Elementary (1 staff)
▪ Hodge Road Elementary (2 staff)
▪ Holly Grove Middle (1 student)
▪ Holly Springs Elementary (1 student)
▪ Holly Springs High (1 staff)
▪ Hunter Elementary (1 staff)
▪ Jeffreys Grove Elementary (1 staff)
▪ Jones Dairy Elementary (1 student)
▪ Joyner Elementary (1 student)
▪ Laurel Park Elementary (1 student)
▪ Lufkin Road Middle (3 staff)
▪ Millbrook Elementary (2 students)
▪ Millbrook High (1 staff, 1 student)
▪ Morrisville Elementary (1 student)
▪ North Ridge Elementary (1 staff)
▪ Poe Elementary (1 staff)
▪ Rolesville Elementary (1 staff)
▪ Rolesville High (1 staff)
▪ Salem Elementary (1 student)
▪ Salem Middle (2 staff)
▪ Sanderson High (1 staff, 1 student)
▪ Sanford Creek Elementary (1 student)
▪ South Garner High (1 staff, 1 student)
▪ Stough Elementary (1 staff)
▪ Wakefield Elementary (1 staff)
▪ Wakefield High (1 student)
▪ Wake Forest High (1 staff, 1 student)
▪ Wake Forest Middle (1 student)
▪ Wakelon Elementary (1 staff)
▪ Wake STEM Early College (1 student)
▪ Weatherstone Elementary (1 staff, 1 student)
▪ Wendell Elementary (2 staff)
▪ West Cary Middle (1 student)
▪ West Lake Middle (1 staff)
▪ Wildwood Forest Elementary (1 staff, 1 student)
▪ Zebulon Elementary (1 staff)
In addition, two employees at the district’s Rock Quarry Road administrative site reported COVID-19 cases.
Individual schools send notices to families after a staff member or student tells them they have COVID-19.
But Wake says it only adds cases to its metrics page after it gets a confirmation of a positive COVID-19 test from health officials. This means some cases are retroactively added after the weekly update.
Wake has 157,000 students and more than 190 schools. Health officials have told the district that it’s reasonable to expect one new case per school each week.
More than 85,000 students are attending the Virtual Academy program. Most high school students are also only getting online classes this semester.
Elementary and middle school students and some special-education students are receiving in-person instruction.
High schools have reported cases because staff, student-athletes and some special-education students are on campus.
This story was originally published December 10, 2020 at 9:51 PM.
