Kaneland John Shields Elementary falls off state’s latest COVID-19 school outbreak list

KANE COUNTY – Thirteen schools in Kane County are on the Illinois Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 school outbreak list, which was updated Oct. 1.

That’s down from 15 schools the week before. IDPH updates the school outbreak list every Friday.

As of Oct. 1, two Kaneland schools remained on the list. Kaneland High School was placed on the list Sept. 10, with fewer than five cases among students, with the classroom as a source of exposure. Kaneland Harter Middle School first appeared on list on Sept. 24, with fewer than five cases among students with the classroom as the source of exposure.

Kaneland John Shields Elementary School had been on the list since Aug. 27, with fewer than five cases among staff and students, with the classroom as the source of exposure. It no longer appears on the most recent list.

Grace McWayne Elementary School in Batavia remains on this week’s report and has fewer than five cases among students, with a classroom as the source of exposure. It first appeared on the list on Sept. 17.

Creekside Elementary School in Elgin, with fewer than five cases among students, and Garfield Elementary School in Elgin, with fewer than five cases among staff and students, also first appeared on the Sept. 17 list and remain this week.

Also on the Oct. 1 list were Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora with fewer than five cases among staff and students; Hampshire High School with between 11 and 16 cases among students; Willard Elementary School in South Elgin with fewer than five cases among students; Kenyon Woods Middle School in South Elgin with fewer than five cases among students; Fox Meadow Elementary School in South Elgin District U-46 with five or fewer cases among students; Gary D. Wright Elementary School in Hampshire in District 300 with fewer than five cases among students; Holy Angels Catholic School in Aurora with five to 10 cases among staff and students; and Sleepy Hollow Elementary School with five to 10 cases among staff and students.

According to the IDPH, the school outbreak data “includes entries elicited from cases opened within the previous 30 days from date of update.” Schools are considered to have an outbreak if they report two or more COVID-19 cases who “may have shared exposure on school grounds and are from different households.”

New COVID-19 cases among students in Kane County

In Kane County, IDPH data shows that for the week ending Sept. 25, the most recent data available, there were 83 new cases among kids ages 5 to 11 and 60 new cases for adolescents ages 12 to 17.

For the week ending Sept. 18 there were 74 new cases among kids ages 5 to 11 and 65 new cases among adolescents ages 12 to 17.

For the week ending Sept. 11, there were 113 COVID-19 cases among children 5 to 11 and 91 cases in adolescents ages 12 to 17.