Cobb schools report 106 new COVID cases; 434 since October

For the second week in a row, more than 100 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the Cobb County School District.

The district posted this week’s update on Friday noting an additional 106 cases this week, for 721 overall since July 1. All the cases are confirmed by Cobb and Douglas Public Health.

The cases are for staff, teachers and students but aren’t broken down further.

When elementary schools students began returning for face-to-face instruction on October 5, there had been 287 cases to that point.

Since then, 434 cases have been reported as the reopening continued. Here’s how those figures have risen week-by-week:

• October 9: 324 (elementary return)
• October 16: 349
• October 23: 382 (middle school return)
• October 30: 443
• Nov. 6: 511 (high school return)
• Nov. 13: 615
• Nov. 20: 721

Last week, the first week of reporting since the arrival of high school students, there were 105 new cases at 53 schools.

This week’s 106 cases also are spread out at 53 schools, including most of the high schools.

All of the schools reported 10 cases or less, which has been the case since the district first began reporting weekly totals in October.

Here are the following schools in East Cobb with new cases this week:

• Elementary Schools: Addison, Blackwell, Davis, Mountain View; Nicholson; Rocky Mount, Sedalia Park, Shallowford Falls, Sope Creek, Tritt
• Middle Schools: Dickerson, Dodgen, Mabry, McCleskey, Simpson
• High Schools: Lassiter, Pope, Walton, Wheeler

Only Dickerson Middle School had not previously reported any cases.

On Thursday, Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale said that he’s not planning a return to all-virtual learning, in the wake of rising case numbers in the schools and in the county.

He said Cobb and Douglas Public Health officials told him the virus isn’t spreading in the schools, and any decisions to close classrooms or schools will be made on a “case-by-case basis.”

He said there was a school that caused some concern, but health officials determined multiple cases weren’t related and the school remained open.

No Cobb schools or classrooms have been closed since students returned in October.

“There is not going to be trigger or a number or a level,” Ragsdale said to the school board, prompting an exchange with board member Jaha Howard.

Ragsdale said over the summer, when the county’s 14-day average of cases per 100,000 people was spiking extremely high—nearly 400—that was his baseline for deciding to start the year all-virtual.

The reopening began after that number dropped close to 200, and for a while in Cobb it hovered around 100, which is considered “high community spread.”

That average is now back in the mid-200s, and Ragsdale said Thursday that “we are in a different time than we were in the summer.”

Since face-to-face learning resumed, teachers have had to instruct students in their classrooms and those at home simultaneously.

Connie Jackson of the Cobb County Association of Educators told school board members Thursday that “right now, our teachers are so overworked. They are at their breaking report.”

She asked that the district provide a written policy about how it’s following data during the pandemic, giving teachers the option in the second semester of teaching all-virtual if they have medical conditions that make it unsafe to teach from school, and provide bus drivers with masks for students who don’t have them.

Parents of Cobb school district students have until Nov. 29 to choose their child’s learning option for the spring semester, and Ragsdale said it’s possible a second window could open up for that purpose depending on any possible COVID case spike over the winter.

On Friday, the district is sending home with students a “symptom letter” written by Cobb and Douglas Public Health advising families on how to reduce the spread of the virus and stay safe during the Thanksgiving holidays.

Here’s the test of that message:

Dear Parents and Caregivers of Cobb County School District Students:

The Fall season has brought cooler weather, but also a rise of 100% over the last few weeks in COVID 19 cases in our county. We were already in the high transmission category, but this new rise in cases jeopardizes all the progress that has been made to this point. Not only are we seeing very high transmission rates, but our hospitals are now nearing capacity. Surges in many states throughout the nation show us that we have not yet controlled this virus. We in public health are deeply concerned with cold weather moving us indoors, the anticipated holiday travel, and the COVID fatigue that has made our community to be less likely to wear masks or keep our distance from others.

The importance of keeping our children in school is indisputable. At this critical juncture, we need to work together to keep that a reality for us all.

Cobb and Douglas Public Health (CDPH) is working with the school staff and parents to contain isolated cases of COVID-19 throughout the schools. Due to federal HIPAA laws, we try our best to protect the privacy of the affected individuals in each case. We wanted to take this time to remind of you of best practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please remember, DO NOT send your children to school when they have symptoms of COVID- 19. These symptoms include, but are not limited to:

• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Fever
• Muscle aches
• Sore throat
• Headaches
• Congestion/runny nose
• Diarrhea

We have received multiple reports of parents sending their children to school while sick. We understand the burden of having to keep children home when they are sick, but sending sick children to school can endanger other children and staff, as well. Free Covid-19 tests are provided by CDPH in the form of nasal self swabs and results are available within 1-2 days.

Also remember that any child who is in direct contact with a family member positive for COVID-19 for more than 15 minutes ACCUMULATED, over 24 hours during the isolation period is a close contact and should not be sent to school. They must quarantine. Not doing so, endangers the health of other children and the community at large.

These orders are in accordance with O.C.G.A. §§ 31-2A-4(4) and 31-12-4, Chapter 511-9- 1 of the Rules of the Georgia Department of Public Health.

We also ask that you all help us to contain the spread of COVID-19 within our community. Wearing masks, washing hands, social distancing, and avoiding crowds of people will go a long way in winning this battle.

Please contact us at www.cobbanddouglashealth.org for more information on COVID-19 or to sign up for a free test.

For additional information, please visit the Georgia Department of Public Health website:

• Isolation Guidance: https://dph.georgia.gov/isolation-contact
• Quarantine Guidance: https://dph.georgia.gov/contact
• COVID-19 Daily Status Report: https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report

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