On Thursday, October 22, the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement notified area school districts of those in the “red zone.” The Greenwood School District was among the 42 named throughout the state.
“The red zone designation has more to do with community cases than school cases,” stated Assistant Superintendent Suzy Wilson. “As of today, we have two staff members and three students who are current cases. Two of the students are Bulldog Online students and do not attend classes on campus.”
According to ACHI’s most recent data analyses, 42 Arkansas school districts have had 50 or more new known COVID-19 infections per 10,000 district residents over a 14-day period. This is up from 26 last week and up from 13 the week before. Twenty-three new school districts were added this week, while 19 school districts remained on the list. ACHI’s analysis also found a concentration of infections in Northeast Arkansas, where five school districts have more than 1% of the population with new known infections.
“This virus is an invisible and serious threat, and we’re seeing its continued spread across our state,” said ACHI President and CEO Dr. Joe Thompson. “Infections in our communities threaten our schools, and there are more reports of young, healthy individuals who are impacted by COVID-19.”
Wilson stated that the Greenwood School District has been chosen to receive the Binax screening system. The system will be in place by November, and will provide rapid antigen screenings for the staff.
