Zero transmission

CHENEY — One could forgive school officials if they choose to take a victory lap around the 365-square-mile district.

In presenting COVID-19 information and contract tracing data to the school board at its Dec. 16 meeting, Assistant Superintendent Tom Arlt spelled out the bottom line to all the work district staff have been doing in preventing the spread of the virus among students and staff in school — a number of total positive cases with “Epi” link that registered zero.

No two or more cases that, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s definition of an epidemiological (Epi) link, are linked by similar characteristics such as contact between two people or a common exposure. Zero cases in Cheney’s K-2, special education and education justice needs reopening that have brought back 1,230 students to onsite/in-person learning, 1,900 total teachers and staff back and 453 total potential cases tracked by district personnel that were symptomatic, contracted traced, determined through consultations or in quarantine.

“Epi link means two cases that are associated in regards to time, place and person or persons subsequently testing positive,” Arlt said in further describing the term. “So a link means a student or staff member were in the building, they tested positive, they were in the building while contagious and there’s a direct link to a second positive case, so a transmission from that case to a second case.”

“And we have had zero,” he added.

Lack of links aside, the district has seen its share of positive COVID-19 cases. Of the 453 potential cases, 334 have come from elementary school locations where K-2 students resumed in-person classes beginning in October under conditions that include strict mask wearing, social distancing, keeping students in defined cohorts that aren’t intermingled and heavy sanitization procedures.

Arlt said total potential cases track all cases that nurses, health aides have investigated, worked on, phone calls from parents and staff, assessment individuals, staff and students sent home symptomatic, quarantine, contact tracing and any situation that resulted in a follow up or some sort of response or action. All of these are tracked via a district tracking sheet and sent off weekly to the Spokane Regional Health District.

Potential cases also include 207 students who were sent home “symptomatic,” 187 from elementary school locations and 27 from secondary schools. The number also includes 104 staff members sent similarly sent home — 61 elementary and 43 secondary.

Seventy-four students — 65 elementary and nine secondary — have been quarantined as a result of a close contact, which Arlt said could have occurred in a classroom or on a bus. Thirty staff have been quarantined as a result of a close contact, split evenly between elementary and secondary schools.

Out of all these numbers, just 24 total positive cases of COVID-19 have been identified among staff and students since in-person reopening began in late-September.

It means all positive cases have originated outside of school,” Arlt said. “We’ve had no in-school transmissions. Not transmissions student to student, staff to student, student to staff, staff to staff, all positive cases have originated outside of our school system and are linked and originated outside of our school building and are brought into the school building.”

Staff and school board members took the news in different ways — all positive. Superintendent Rob Roettger said the numbers adhere closely to revised metrics used in school reopening plans released by the state earlier in the day.

“This is our data and it shows that we are not seeing transmission within our schools. It means we’re doing everything right,” Roettger said.

For Director Marcie Estrellado, the news was indication of how closely and diligently students, staff and parents were in following health requirements surrounding the virus.

“It just shows that the safety protocols that are in place are effective,” she added.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].