School District 300, based in Algonquin, reported that hundreds of its students have had to quarantine after 48 students tested positive for COVID-19, including two who were hospitalized, since classes resumed this month.
District 300, which has an enrollment of over 20,000 students, disclosed the information during a school board meeting on Tuesday.
CUSD District 300 Superintendent Susan Harkin said there have been 48 positive cases among students and two positive cases among staff.
Two of the 48 students had to be hospitalized. 366 students who had close contact with the positive-case students had to quarantine, Harkin said.
A “close contact” is defined as someone who was within six feet of an infected individual for a cumulative 15 minutes over a 24-hour period starting two days prior to the infected individual’s onset of symptoms, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).
Harkin said 98% of students in District 300 have been in person since the start of the school year, which began on August 12.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has introduced a program called “Test to Stay” for students. The program allows students who were in close contact with a person infected with COVID-19 to remain in school without having to quarantine.
These students, as long as they were masked when having the contact, will be tested every other day from the date of their initial exposure for a week.
ABC7 Chicago reported that District 300 has no plans to go back to remote learning.