Chesterfield schools report 140 COVID-19 cases within first week

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WWBT) - Chesterfield County Public Schools are one week into the school year and reporting more than 100 cases of COVID-19.

Since last Monday, 140 positive cases have been reported by the school district, according to its dashboard. This includes 117 students and 23 staff members.

On Aug. 30, many cases were reported in the Matoaca area of Chesterfield. Three cases were reported in Matoaca Middle School, three cases were positive in Matoaca Elementary School, and two additional cases were found in Matoaca High School.

District-wide, thirty-six cases were reported on Monday. All students and staff are required to wear masks. CCPS does not report the quarantine status of students and employees.

So far, the Virginia Department of Health has not classified any of these cases as outbreaks, meaning two or more cases are traced to the same person.

Chesterfield County as a whole has a positivity rate of 11.6%, per VDH.

Virtual learning options are largely at capacity, leaving parents with limited options. The district began the year with a staggered approach to allow students to get acquired with new surroundings.

On Aug. 20, a CCPS spokesman said any parent trying to switch their child to virtual learning will be placed on a waitlist, but there is no timeline provided for when a student may be able to switch.

Chesterfield County Public Schools is keeping track of reported COVID-19 cases in their school community through their online dashboard.

Chesterfield educates more than 63,000 Central Virginia students in 64 schools. It is one of the largest school divisions in Virginia.

Send it to 12 here.

Want NBC12’s top stories in your inbox each morning? Subscribe here.