D303 Schools Report Coronavirus Cases In First Days Of New Year

ST. CHARLES, IL — People at two St. Charles District 303 schools tested positive for the coronavirus just days after students returned to classrooms amid the coronavirus pandemic.

District 303 officials sent letters Friday to families after learning one person at Thompson Middle School and two at Fox Ridge Elementary school tested positive, though they did not say whether they were students of staff members, according to a report by the Kane County Chronicle.

Kane County Coronavirus Cases Approach 11K; 308 Deaths

Students at elementary and middle schools in District 303 returned to classrooms Aug. 19, just two days before the letters were sent to families. High schools are operating remotely until at least Labor Day, as the district tries to stagger the return of students and employees.

Illinois Coronavirus Update Aug. 25— Don't miss updates in St. Charles as they are announced — Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

"We are coordinating our efforts with the Kane County Health Department to promptly identify and monitor individuals who have had recent close contact with the COVID-19 positive individual(s) to prevent further spread," officials said in the letters.

Kane County Taken Off Warning List For Coronavirus Restrictions

The district is cleaning and disinfecting all areas where the three people were, and officials are notifying anyone who spent at least 15 minutes within 6 feet of any of them, the Kane County Chronicle reports.

St. Charles Homeowners Eligible For $15K Mortgage Relief Grant

District 303 spokesperson Carol Smith said the Kane County Health Department evaluates whether to close a school based on "epidemiologically linked cases" — defined as two or more cases with a common source — instead of identifying a maximum number of positive tests within the district that would trigger closures.

At least one cheerleader on the St. Charles North High School varsity team reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month. The team’s coach told cheerleaders to stop meeting in large groups after learning of the positive test, Smith said last week.

REGIONAL NEWS:

• IL Bettors Can Register Online Again After Pritzker Reverses Rule
• D304 Outlines Symptom-Screening Protocol Ahead Of School Return
• Pritzker Extending Illinois’ Ban On Evictions During Pandemic
• New Saliva Coronavirus Test Could Be 'Game Changer' For IL, US
• East Aurora District 131 Pushes Back School Year's Start
• St. Charles Businesses Impacted By Pandemic Receive Relief Grants