Kalamazoo Schools Still Dealing with COVID-19 Outbreaks

With the exception of “summer school” programs, Michigan K-12 schools are out for the summer break. Most state colleges are in the same type of downtime as they prepare for opening fall semester classes for the 2021-2022 academic year.

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But some schools and colleges remain under the watchful eyes of state health administrators.  They are noted by the Michigan Health and Human Services Department as being sites of ongoing outbreaks of the COVID-19 virus.

Kalamazoo County is one of the focal points of ongoing virus caseloads with no less than two public K-12 schools and two colleges under watch for virus cases that just won’t go away. At least not yet.

Western Michigan University first appeared on the state’s virus management list last fall and has stayed there since then, listed as the site of an ongoing virus outbreak.  The latest reporting from the state health and human services department indicates 930 students and staff are involved in the ongoing outbreak there. It’s the largest school outbreak noted in the state.  Kalamazoo College by contrast is also on the list with 39 students and staff being monitored.  Portage Central Elementary has 23 people involved in an outbreak, along with only 2 involved at Gilden Woods Early Care and Preschool in Kalamazoo.

Also remaining on the state’s virus watch list this week is Constantine High School. Two high schools in Jackson County remain on the list. Those are Lumen Christi and Hanover Horton.

The state is posting on its school reporting page that conditions may actually be worse, but reporting difficulties remain: “Many factors, including the lack of ability to conduct effective contact tracing in certain settings, may result in underreporting of outbreaks. This information does not provide a complete picture of school-related outbreaks in Michigan and the absence of identified outbreaks in an educational institution in no way provides evidence that, in fact, that school is not experiencing an outbreak.”