COVID-19 outbreaks in Illinois schools triple since last week, but some officials take issue with the state’s new definition of an outbreak

Chicago Tribune - 9/3/2021

Illinois reported 81 COVID-19 outbreaks in schools Friday — more than triple the number from the previous week and spiking exponentially just weeks after students began returning to full-time in-person classes.

The numbers are based on the Illinois Department of Public Health’s updated definition of a school outbreak, which tightened the criteria from five related cases to two.

During the virus surge last fall, IDPH increased the outbreak criteria to five, with the exception of some health care settings, “so local health departments could best handle the volume,” according to agency officials.

But on Aug. 9, the state health department shifted back to the two related cases threshold — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s suggested definition — and on Friday, officials said they have no plans to return to the looser criteria anytime soon.

Now, as Illinois’ nearly 4,000 schools have fully reopened for the first time in 18 months, the two-case criteria appears to be fueling a surge of reported school outbreaks this fall. And according to some experts, that is not necessarily a bad thing.

“I was initially surprised to hear that the definition of an outbreak had changed to be less stringent (last fall), because decreasing the number of cases to define an outbreak is undoubtedly going to yield more outbreaks in schools,” said Mercedes Carnethon, vice chair of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Carnethon acknowledged the label “outbreak” has consequences, triggering fear among parents and educators, and threatening the ability for schools to keep their doors open to students for in-person learning.

“However, in light of the current surge and the infectiousness of the delta variant, I agree with the decision to lower our threshold,” Carnethon said. “I believe it is the right choice because the delta variant is highly infectious and the unvaccinated have experienced the greatest burden of illness.”

Children under age 12 comprise one of the largest population groups who are unvaccinated, she said.

“As careful as school districts and teachers have been to try to prevent COVID-19 spread, cases will come into the school while the burden is high in the community,” Carnethon said.

According to the CDC, definitions for COVID-19 outbreaks are relative to the local context, but a “working definition of ‘outbreak’ is recommended for planning investigations,” officials said.

Although school outbreaks can mean more students in quarantine and more interruptions of classroom learning, some educators say remaining vigilant this fall will pay off in the long run, keeping students and staff safe, and ensuring schools remain open.

“We’ve taken the position we don’t want to make these health decisions, and we trust the experts,” said John Burkey, the executive director of the Large Unit District Association.

“We respect the fact the state has made these decisions, but all of the quarantines and testing to stay is absolutely overwhelming our schools this fall,” Burkey said.

While officials at Maine Township High School District 207 said they fully support the state’s efforts to report clusters of cases in an effort to halt the spread of the virus, “utilizing the word ‘outbreak’ is problematic and confusing to the public,” District 207 spokesman Brett Clark said.

Clark said the district has reached out to “IDPH multiple times this week to further understand the data,” but has yet to hear back from the agency.

District 207 has been very transparent, Clark said, posting information about COVID-19 cases weekly on the district’s website for all three high schools, but he said the IDPH terminology and determination on what constitutes an outbreak is “problematic for parents, students and staff.”

IDPH currently updates the school outbreak data on its website weekly, and includes a virtual map of Illinois that indicates which counties are experiencing outbreaks.

But while the outbreaks are listed alphabetically by school name, the data does not include the specific district or town where the school is located — an omission which can be confusing, given there can be several Illinois schools with the same name.

Dr. Rachel Rubin, senior public health medical officer with the Cook County Department of Public Health, said “the lowering of the threshold, and in the midst of delta, means that we are likely to see more outbreaks.”

Nevertheless, Rubin said because the “close contact” definition in schools has changed, “our hope is that, ultimately, fewer children will miss school.”

In addition, Rubin said many Illinois schools are using the Shield test developed at the University of Illinois for regular COVID-19 screening, which is also able to provide “test-to-stay capabilities, again so that kids can stay in school even if they are potentially exposed.”

Despite having to close one classroom at Glenbrook Elementary School in Streamwood due to the new threshold, Elgin-based Unit School District 46 Superintendent Tony Sanders said he supports the more stringent outbreak criteria.

“I have no concerns and would rather err on the side of what health experts believe is appropriate to ensure student and staff safety,” Sanders said.

Officials at Arlington Heights-based Township High School District 214 said Friday they have yet to feel the impact of an outbreak at the district’s six high schools.

“We have certainly had our share of positive cases and subsequent close contact quarantines; however, none of our buildings (to date) have been identified as outbreak locations,” District 214 spokeswoman Stephanie Kim said.

While school districts might soon be scrambling to deal with soaring number of students in quarantine and a need to pause in-person learning for some classrooms in the coming weeks, experts say the preventive measures are imperative.

“When outbreaks happen in school, they often start outside of school because of activities that families are engaged in that pose some risk for contracting COVID,” said Carnethon, with Northwestern. “The fear and concern that will naturally arise when a school is labeled as having an outbreak and may have to shut down in whole or part could result in some positives. Namely, experiencing an outbreak should serve as a reminder to families about their responsibilities outside of school in keeping the community and our schoolchildren safe.”

kcullotta@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kcullotta