Area schools see jump in COVID-19 cases as county numbers near record levels

COVID-19 cases have begun to rise in local schools as case counts throughout the region have climbed rapidly in the past month.

Since the Southeast Missourian's last COVID-19 update on Saturday, total confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Cape Girardeau County jumped from 608 to 1,065.

This month has brought the largest surge in COVID-19 cases Cape Girardeau School District has seen since the onset of the pandemic, according to Kristin Tallent, communications director for the district.

A total of 138 Cape Girardeau students and 52 staff members were positive for COVID-19 as of the district's latest update to its online COVID-19 dashboard Wednesday.

The total number of close contacts and quarantines within the district reached a peak of 1,825 individuals last week. However, that number decreased to 1,221 Thursday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines close contacts as someone who spent 15 or more minutes within 6 feet of an infected person.

A combined total of 251 students and staff members are absent for reasons related to COVID-19, though families chose to keep their students at home, Tallent said Wednesday.

Both Cape Girardeau School District and Jackson School District called off school Friday because of illness-related absences. Representatives of the districts cited an increase in a variety of ailments, such as the flu, common cold and COVID-19.

Jackson will remain closed until Tuesday. Staff will clean and disinfect all buildings to prevent future illness spread.

COVID-19 case totals have remained fairly low for the Jackson School District but rose in the last few days.

Case totals among Jackson's 5,728 students rose from 57 on Jan. 13 to 90 as of Wednesday. Within the same timeframe, case totals among staff rose from 19 to 28.

The majority of quarantined and coronavirus-positive Jackson students attend Jackson High School.

If the county's upward trend continues, Cape Girardeau County will soon surpass its record from November 2020 for the total number of cases reported in a single day. The current total is just nine confirmed cases shy of beating the county record for most cases reported in a single day.

Data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services show no reported COVID-19 deaths in the last seven days.

Attorney general impact

On Tuesday, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt threatened to sue Missouri schools who enforce mask mandates and quarantine orders.

In a statement on Tuesday, Schmitt said mask and quarantine rules violate a November judgment made in Cole County Circuit Court. The judgment ruled public health orders created and enforced by local health departments and school districts violate the Missouri Constitution.

Tallent said Schmitt's enforcement of the ruling had no impact on the Cape Girardeau School District's COVID-19 protocols.

When asked whether the ruling impacted Jackson, superintendent Scott Smith said, "Our job is to educate students and to provide a safe learning environment for all of our students. It always has been and always will be."

Neither Cape Girardeau nor Jackson districts require universal masking.

In a December school board meeting, Jackson School Board voted to remove the district's mask requirement on buses.

"Right now, we're just going to continue to monitor and try to make decisions that we feel are [in] the best interest of our students," Smith said.

Staff impact

Smith said Jackson administration monitors attendance rates, staff absences, bus driver and substitute teacher availability every day.

"Over the last couple of days, we have seen an increase [in absences], more than we'd like, but it's still manageable," Smith said.

Cape Girardeau School District buildings have managed staff absences by shuffling schedules, though doing so is not sustainable, according to Tallent.

According to the district's most recent update, a total of 52 Cape Girardeau staff members were out with COVID-19 as of Wednesday.

"While it should be noted how hard our teachers, teacher assistants and other staff members are working as they sacrifice planning periods and breaks to serve kids, this should not be a long-term expectation," she said.

The general hope of the Cape Girardeau School District is it'll soon see an end to these conditions, Tallent added.

"It's important we extend grace to one another during these times," Tallent said. "From schools to emergency rooms, to restaurants and other businesses, we all are doing the best we can with limited resources."

The Southeast Missourian reached out to Scott City School District for comment for this story. No response has been received as of presstime.