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Image by Elchinator from Pixabay. Mask on top of classroom books.
1-05-2022 10:55pm
Dramatic Increase in COVID-19 Cases at High School, Hanlon School
Darlene Cancell
Editor
A snapshot look of the positive COVID-19 cases in the Westwood Public Schools appears to show more positive cases have been recorded for Westwood High School during the three days following Winter Break than have been recorded for that campus during entire period of September 1, 2021 to December 24, 2021.
By an email on Wednesday, January 5, 2022, Westwood Public Schools announced an update to its COVID-19 dashboard, providing a link to the updated information at www.westwood.k12.ma.us/district/covid19.
In the four months before Winter Break, the WPS COVID-19 Dashboard shows that Westwood High School recorded 25 positive COVID-19 cases. After Winter Break, in the three-day period from January 2, 2022 to January 5, 2022, the high school recorded 41 positive COVID-19 cases. This is a 64 percent increase over the number of cases at the high school before Winter Break.
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This increase in positive COVID-19 cases and what develops over the next two weeks will likely need to be factored into School Committee's decision, expected this month, of whether to lift the current mask mandate at the high school. At School Committee's meeting of December 9, 2021, the Committee considered the fact that over 80 percent of the Westwood High School population had been vaccinated. As such, committee members agreed to target January 18, 2022 as a date for potentially lifting the mask mandate and making masks optional at the high school. How School Committee views the current uptick in positive COVID-19 cases at the high school, in light of its earlier plans to lift the mask mandate, remains to be seen.
Hanlon School also has more positive cases in the three days following Winter Break than it did in the four months before Winter Break. However, the number of new cases at Hanlon is much lower than at the high school.
In the four months that school was in session before Winter Break, the COVID-19 Dashboard shows Hanlon School with 8 positive cases. In the first three days following Winter Break, Hanlon has recorded 12 positive cases. This represents a 50 percent increase.
Compare the screenshots of the two time periods below. First, take a look at the period from the start of the school year to just before the start of Winter Break. The left column shows the results for the query for September 1, 2021 to December 24, 2021. (The right column shows cumulative positive cases through January 5, 2021, and is not under discussion here).
Screenshot of Westwood Public Schools COVID-19 Dashboard showing positive cases in the school district from Sept. 1, 2021 to Dec. 24, 2021. And now, take a look at the three day period immediately following Winter Break. The left column shows the results of a query for positive cases between January 3, 2022 to January 5, 2022. (The right column again shows cumulative cases through January 5, 2022 and is not under discussion here.)
Screenshot of Westwood Public Schools COVID-19 Dashboard showing positive cases in the school district from Jan. 3, 2022 to Jan. 5, 2022.It should be noted that while positive COVID-19 cases at the high school and Hanlon School appear to have drastically increased following Winter Break, the other six schools in the district do not show such an increase.
