April 16, 2024
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Oswego School District reports just one COVID-19 case among staff

Number of cases among students also fell over the past week

By Shea Lazansky
File photo: Oswego High School students head to class during a passing period at the school.

File photo: Oswego High School students head to class during a passing period at the school. (Shea Lazansky)

Only one Oswego School District 308 staff member has a confirmed case of COVID-19 for the second consecutive week.

According to data provided by the district, only one case of COVID-19 was recorded among district staff during the week of Oct. 11-17. Three staff members are in exclusion, one at the elementary level and two at the high school level.

The district defines “exclusion” as students and staff who are a close contact to a known case of COVID-19, closer than three feet with masks in school or six feet apart without a mask or exposure not based in school for a total of 15 minutes or longer in a 24 hour period. Symptomatic individuals are not included in exclusion metrics, unless they test positive or are named as a close contact.

While cases are in the single-digits for district staff, cases among students numbered 13 for the Oct. 11-17 period. The number represents a decrease from the previous week’s total of 17 positive cases. A total of 36 district students are in exclusion.

District officials reported this past week that 84% of the district’s “regular staff” had provided proof of full vaccination for COVID-19 to the district as of Oct. 2. The district did not provide a breakdown of vaccination levels between certified and non-certified staff.

District 308 is the largest employer in Kendall County with an estimated 2,330 employees, according to information posted on the district’s website. With an enrollment of more than 17,000 students, it is the seventh largest school district in Illinois.

OSD 308 continues to provide a breakdown of the number of positive COVID-19 cases across the district by school.

Positive cases of students are spread among Grande Park Elementary School, Thompson Junior High School, Traughber Junior High School, and Oswego High School.

The positive staff member case was recorded at a district building other than a school or administrative building.

OSD 308 is measuring its COVID metrics differently this year than it did during the 2020-2021 school year.

This year, COVID-19 metrics for the district are being evaluated in two-week intervals to “reflect trends rather than sharp increases or decreases”, according to a district plan. Metrics will continue to be reported for the district and its service area on the OSD 308 website, and will consist of a 14-day average of new cases per 100,000 population for the four zip codes that are located within the district.

District metrics are updated weekly, and can be found under the “Metrics” tab on the district’s Return to School 21-22 website page.