Education

DHEC reports 90 new COVID-19 cases in K-12 schools as of Sept. 22

South Carolina’s K-12 schools have seen 90 new coronavirus cases since data were last reported Friday, raising the total number of school cases to 622 since classes resumed, according to S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control data.

The total cases include 423 student cases and 199 employee cases, according to the DHEC database updated Tuesday.

The data apply to all SC public, private and charter schools, the majority of which either have no cases or fewer than five cases, according to DHEC data.

The case numbers show how many students and employees who attend or work at a school have tested positive for coronavirus, but that doesn’t mean the infected person contracted COVID-19 from being at the school.

Schools that are still virtual-only may have cases listed in the DHEC database because the infected student employee may have been participating in a school sponsored event, such as sports, when they were potentially contagious.

Throughout Lexington and Richland counties, no public schools had more than 10 cases, according to the DHEC database. Some schools that had reported cases Friday are no longer reporting cases, such as Northside Middle in Lexington 4.

Richland and Lexington county private schools, which have seen an increased demand because they’re offering in-person classes, have seen a slow drip of cases. However, the case numbers at local private schools are still low and not increasing, according to DHEC data.

Here are case numbers for schools in Lexington and Richland Counties, in alphabetical order:

Lexington 1

  • Carolina Springs Middle: Fewer than 5 student cases
  • Centerville Elementary: Fewer than 5 student cases and fewer than 5 employee cases
  • Forts Pond Elementary: Fewer than 5 student cases
  • Gilbert Elementary: Fewer than 5 student cases
  • Gilbert High: Fewer than 5 employee cases
  • Gilbert Middle: Fewer than 5 student cases
  • Lexington Elementary: Fewer than 5 employee cases
  • Lexington High: Fewer than 5 student cases
  • Meadow Glen Middle: Fewer than 5 student cases
  • Pelion High: Fewer than 5 student cases
  • River Bluff High: Fewer than 5 student cases and fewer than 5 employee cases
  • Rocky Creek Elementary: Fewer than 5 student cases

Lexington 2

  • Brookland-Cayce Senior High: Fewer than 5 student cases

Lexington 3

  • Batesburg-Leesville Middle: Fewer than 5 student cases and fewer than 5 employee cases

Lexington 4

  • Sandhills Elementary: Fewer than 5 student cases

Lexington-Richland 5

  • Chapin High: Fewer than 5 student cases and fewer than 5 employee cases
  • Dutch Fork Middle: Fewer than 5 employee cases
  • Irmo Elementary: Fewer than 5 employee cases
  • Seven Oaks Elementary: Fewer than 5 employee cases

Richland 1

  • A.C. Flora: Fewer than 5 student cases
  • Columbia High: Fewer than 5 student cases
  • Hand Middle: Fewer than 5 employee cases
  • Hopkins Elementary: Fewer than 5 employee cases

Richland 2

  • Catawba Trail Elementary: Fewer than 5 employee cases
  • Forest Lake Elementary: Fewer than 5 employee cases
  • L.B. Nelson elementary: Fewer than 5 student cases
  • Muller Road Middle: Fewer than 5 employee cases
  • Richland Northeast High: Fewer than 5 student cases
  • Spring Valley High: Fewer than 5 student cases and fewer than 5 employee cases
  • Windsor Elementary: Fewer than 5 employee cases

Private schools in Lexington County

  • Arrows Academy: Fewer than 5 student cases

Private schools in Richland County

  • Ben Lippen: Fewer than 5 student cases
  • Cardinal Newman: Fewer than 5 student cases
  • Hammond: Fewer than 5 student cases
  • St. Peter’s Catholic School: Fewer than 5 student cases

This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 3:18 PM.

LD
Lucas Daprile
The State
Lucas Daprile has been covering the University of South Carolina and higher education since March 2018. Before working for The State, he graduated from Ohio University and worked as an investigative reporter at TCPalm in Stuart, FL. Lucas received several awards from the S.C. Press Association, including for education beat reporting, series of articles and enterprise reporting. Support my work with a digital subscription
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