Due to an increase in infections such as Covid-19, respiratory viruses, and strep among its students and employees, two school districts in eastern Kentucky have cancelled in-person sessions this week.
Superintendent Earl Ray Shuler stated last week that ailments including the flu and colds were to blame for an 82% drop in attendance last Friday in the about 900-student Lee County School District.
On August 8, the new school year began in Lee County. On Monday of this week, Shuler reported that attendance was down to 81% due to the absence of 14 ill workers.
Shuler announced that the school was cancelling all events for the rest of the week and that all buses and facilities were being sanitised.
The rest of the week’s assignments can be completed from home. On Monday, classes will resume in person.
When pupils return to school after having Covid-19, they will be obliged to wear masks for five days, as stated by Shuler.
Attendance at Magoffin County Schools, which has around 1,800 kids, dropped from 95% last week to 83% on Wednesday, Superintendent Chris Meadows told AWN via phone.
According to Meadows, the school board decided on Wednesday to call off the rest of the week’s courses and have pupils report back on Monday.
Ultimately, “we just kept seeing a trend,” as Meadows put it. Closing the school is not something I do lightly.
Meadows explained that this was because “students are getting acclimated” during this time.
Meadows stated that some parents had reported their children sick for up to 48 hours with a virus.
Meadows noted that the widespread illness has also affected school workers, such as bus drivers and custodians.
According to Pete Shepherd, director of the Magoffin County Public Health Department, around 45 instances of Covid-19 were registered in the area on Monday and Tuesday.
He also clarified that home-testing positives weren’t factored into the case count.
Shepherd emphasised that “the flu season has not even started at this point.” So that’s the next thing with Covid that’s going to happen, and it’s going to really rev things back up.
Shepherd warned that individuals should be caution even though only mild symptoms had been reported.
Shepherd said that even if “everyone’s let their guard down now,” people should still take precautions like washing their hands. The solution lies in vaccines. All they have to do is follow the CDC’s cleanliness and immunisation guidelines.
