The number of new COVID-19 cases reported among students and staff members surged in Oak Ridge Schools during the past three weeks.
There have been 27 cases reported since October 15. That’s an average of nine new cases per week during a three-week period.
It’s about triple the average number of new cases reported during the previous high period in August, when roughly 3.3 new cases were reported per week during a three-week period.
The increase in new cases in the school system has occurred as the number of new cases has also risen significantly in Anderson County and Tennessee, surpassing the July peak.
The 27 cases reported in the past three weeks in Oak Ridge Schools represents about 57 percent of the total 47 cases reported since the school year started July 29.
Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers has said about 80 percent of COVID-19 cases in the schools have been due to activities outside of school. Last week, he said 85.2 percent of the student cases in Oak Ridge Schools have been confirmed to be non-school related. (The source of some exposures was unknown.)
Most of the COVID-19 cases have been reported among students. Almost half of the total cases, 22 of them, have been reported at Oak Ridge High School. At least 16 of those have been among students. Five have been staff cases. One case earlier this school year was identified only as a person.
Fourteen of the cases at the high school, or more than half of them, have been reported in the past two weeks.
The school with the second-highest number of cases since July 29 is Jefferson Middle School with seven cases. Three of those cases have been among students. Three cases earlier this year were identified only as cases affecting a person, and one was a staff case.
Glenwood Elementary School has had six cases: three students, two people, and one staff member. Robertsville Middle School has had five: two students, two people, and one staff member.
Woodland Elementary School has had three cases, and Linden Elementary School and the Preschool have had two cases each.
No cases have been reported among students or staff at Secret City Academy or Willow Brook Elementary School.
Oak Ridge Today does not have information about the current condition of the students and staff members who have been infected with COVID-19. The most recent information posted by Oak Ridge Schools says 26 cases are recovered and 15 are current.
| School Week | Number of Cases |
| Week 1 (July 29-Aug. 4) | 3 |
| Week 2 (Aug 5-Aug 11) | 0 |
| Week 3 (Aug 12-Aug 18) | 4 |
| Week 4 (Aug 19-Aug 25) | 1 |
| Week 5 (Aug 26-Sept 1) | 5 |
| Week 6 (Sept 2-Sept 8) | 0 |
| Week 7 (Sept 9-Sept 15) | 2 |
| Week 8 (Sept 16-Sept 22) | 2 |
| Week 9 (Sept 23-Sept 29) | 2 |
| Week 10 (Sept 30-Oct 6) | 0 |
| Week 11 (Oct 7-Oct 13) | 0 |
| Week 12 (Oct 14-Oct 20) | 2 |
| Week 13 (Oct 21-Oct 27) | 9 |
| Week 14 (Oct 28-Nov 3) | 12 |
| Week 15 (Nov 4-Nov 10 (partial week)) | 4 |
Here is a summary of cases in Oak Ridge Schools during the past two weeks, according to a compilation of information from Oak Ridge Schools:
- October 24—two students at Oak Ridge High School. One student was last at the high school on Thursday, October 22, and the other was not in contact with other students since the student was infected.
- October 24—one student at the Preschool. The student was last at school on Thursday, October 22.
- October 25—one student at ORHS. The student was last at the high school on Friday, October 16.
- October 26—one student at Glenwood Elementary School. The student was at Glenwood on Tuesday morning last week, prompting a cleaning and disinfecting of the affected areas.
- October 26—one student at Jefferson Middle School. The student was last at the middle school on Friday, October 9.
- October 26—two students at ORHS. One student was last at the high school on Thursday, October 22, and the other was last at school on Friday, October 23.
- October 28—one staff member at Robertsville Middle School. The employee was last at the middle school on Monday, October 26.
- October 28—one student at ORHS. The student was last at ORHS on Thursday, October 22.
- October 28—one student at Woodland Elementary School. The student was last at Woodland on Friday, October 23.
- October 29—two students at ORHS. One student was last at ORHS on Monday, October 12, and the other was last there on Friday, October 23.
- October 30—one staff member at ORHS. The employee was last at the high school on Wednesday, October 28.
- October 31—one staff member at Glenwood. The employee was last at the school on Thursday, October 29.
- November 2—one student at ORHS. The student was last at the high school on Monday, October 26.
- November 3—three students at ORHS. One student was last at the high school on Tuesday, October 27. The second was last at ORHS on Thursday, October 29, and the third was last there on Monday, November 2.
- November 3—one staff member at Linden Elementary School. The employee was last at the school on Thursday, October 22.
- November 4—one student at Linden. The student was last at the school on Monday, November 2.
- November 5—one student at JMS. The student was last at Jefferson on Tuesday, October 27.
- November 5—one student at RMS. The student was last at Robertsville on Monday, November 2.
- November 5—one staff member at ORHS. The employee was last at ORHS on Monday, November 2.
People who have been in contact with the infected students and staff members have been notified so they can quarantine, Borchers has said in letters to families.
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