Lancaster County schools report COVID cases, quarantines after first week of class

Lancaster County School District officials reported Thursday that 95 students and staff have tested positive for COVID-19.

The school system’s mandate is that classes exposed to coronavirus be placed in quarantine for 14 days. Due to this policy, 687 students and staff have been quarantined.

School returned to session Monday and numbers have climbed throughout the week. At the school board meeting Tuesday, officials reported 80 coronavirus cases -- meaning 17 more were confirmed in the last two days.

Out of the 95 cases, 25 are staff and 71 are students. Out of the 637 quarantined, 42 are staff and 533 are students.

LCSD is not currently offering an online school option, but “if the pandemic causes enough staff to be absent that the district is concerned about student supervision,” the district might need to go virtual, District Representative Michelle Craig told The Herald.

According to state law, students in LCSD can choose whether to wear masks.

The Herald reported on Aug. 13 that the Lancaster High School football team had been quarantined due to coronavirus exposure. Several members of the Lancaster High School varsity football team had tested positive for COVID-19, the Lancaster County School District said in a statement.

Also on Aug. 13, a coroner’s report showed that a 16-year-old LCSD student died of COVID-19 complications.