As of Jan. 19, the district reported 883 active cases in students and 110 active cases in staff, bringing the total number of cases to 993.
The district website defines an active case as a person who has received a “lab-confirmed positive case of COVID-19” and not yet returned to school.
Just under 4% of MISD’s 23,487 students are currently infected with the virus, according to the dashboard. However, this is the highest number of active cases reported by the district all school year.
The campus with the highest number of infected students is McKinney Boyd High School, with 163 active cases. Six staff members at the school have COVID-19. McGowen Elementary School has the highest number of active cases in staff, with nine testing positive for the virus. The school has 30 active cases in students, according to the dashboard.
From August to mid-September, active cases hovered around 200, per the dashboard, which is updated by the district daily. From late September through Thanksgiving break, active cases remained below 100, with the lowest number of student cases staying around 30. The dashboard reset to zero after the Thanksgiving holiday, and cases remained below 100 until Jan. 10.
The district reported a spike in active cases on Jan. 11, with student cases jumping from 150 to 321, just after the winter break. From Jan. 12 to Jan. 19, student cases increased by more than 100 each day.
MISD’s health services department notifies parents via email each day that there is a positive COVID-19 case at their child’s campus. The email does not name the student or staff member, or provide details that may allow people to identify any individuals.
When a positive case is reported, the district’s custodial department deep cleans the affected campuses with hospital-grade products, according to an email to parents obtained by Community Impact Newspaper.
The district has not responded to requests for comment about whether COVID-19 has affected staffing at campuses.
In a January newsletter, the district wrote that it is “closely monitoring” COVID-19 data and receiving ongoing guidance from Collin County Health Care Services and the Texas Education Agency.
“While this has certainly created some challenges, teachers and staff are doing an amazing job answering the call and providing in-person learning for all students,” the newsletter read. “The district is encouraged by the fact that local health officials have indicated that we are at or near the peak of the latest COVID[-19] variant, and we expect to see a significant decline in positive cases in the coming days.”
