Reported COVID-19 cases in Clark County school districts have rapidly increased since students and staff returned from winter break last week.
Data released through school district websites showed 919 new cases among students and faculty at all Clark County schools but those in Battle Ground Public Schools in the first full week of classes, up dramatically from the number of cases reported in the week before winter break. Updated numbers from Battle Ground were not made available.
The vast majority of cases come from students and, across all districts, almost none of the new cases are described as in-school transmissions. This means that, according to districts, the positive results were due to transmission in home or community settings. The data tracks positive cases who had been in a school building during their contagious period.
The following data can be found for each school district on the Clark County Public Health website and is typically updated by each district weekly.
Camas School District reported 294 cases between Jan. 2 and Jan. 8. The district’s COVID-19 dashboard did not include information on cases reported prior to the holiday break.
Evergreen Public Schools reported 246 positive cases between Jan. 1 and Jan. 9. Between Dec. 12 and Dec. 19 — the last week recorded before the break — the district had reported just 31 total cases.
In Vancouver Public Schools, 125 total cases were recorded between Jan. 5 and Jan. 11. Between Dec. 15 and Dec. 21, there were just 28 total cases.
In Battle Ground Public Schools, up to date information was not available on Wednesday. District spokesperson Rita Sanders said timely reporting of data is being delayed by the surge in COVID cases. Between Dec. 15 and Dec. 21, the district had reported 46 total cases.
Ridgefield School District reported 44 total cases between Jan. 4 and Jan. 10, an increase from the 11 total cases recorded between Dec. 14 and Dec. 20.
Hockinson School District reported 90 cases across its three schools between Jan. 3 and Jan. 7. The district had reported just four total cases between Dec. 13 and Dec. 17.
Washougal School District reported 57 new cases over the last seven days, compared with seven total cases between Dec. 7 and Dec. 13.
La Center School District recorded 63 total cases between Jan. 3 and Jan. 7. Data was unavailable for previous weeks.
The Washington Department of Health has now adopted updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention isolation guidance to public schools: shortening the recommended isolation time from 10 days to five days for those who test positive for COVID-19.
In order to deal with staffing shortages and transportation issues, Vancouver Public Schools shifted to a rotating remote learning schedule over the next three weeks.
Evergreen Public Schools has no plan to shift to remote learning during the current surge, echoing the statewide message that schools remain the safest places for learning.
Note: This story has been updated to reflect new information about data previously reported about cases in Battle Ground Public Schools. Data provided by the district did not match the methodology used for the district’s COVID-19 data dashboard.
