Coronavirus cases at 19 schools in Washington and Ozaukee Counties

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- According to the Washington-Ozaukee Public Health Department's COVID-19 dashboard, there are Coronavirus outbreaks at 19 schools in the two counties. 

CBS 58 visited the Slinger School District to learn about current cases and safety.

In the two weeks since students returned, the district has had 11 cases of COVID-19.

Dealing with safety, and working with health officials, is something the Superintendent Daren Sievers called a learning curve.

“We’re trying to find a balance between giving the best educational experience we can, honoring the fact that the parents have a desire to send the kids to our school but doing it as safely as possible,"" Sievers said.

He explained that the district has almost 100 percent in-person, student learning, with seven percent remaining virtual.

There are 3400 students district-wide.

Of the 11 positive cases, nine are students – one in middle school, three in elementary and five in high school. The two staff members work at the elementary level.

“There’s 11 diagnosed and there’s probably 110 undiagnosed, asymptomatic carriers and I feel this is not something you can really control," Margo Waltz, who has twin sons in 11th grade, said.

The district requires masks inside, has moved lunch to the gyms and has clear dividers around the desks of elementary kids.

“Once we get any information confirmed of a positive case we move as quickly as possible because we’re becoming very well versed in what the process looks like, under the guidance of those health department officials," Sievers said.

As of this report, the Washington-Ozaukee Public Health Department COVID-19 dashboard shows open investigations at 19 area schools.

Quarantine is required and contact tracing is launched.

Sievers said he’s working to get a similar district dashboard so families can better monitor active results.

Regardless of the cases, some parents still support a return to class.

“I believe the best place to learn is in school. They do get sick but the fatality rate is very low," Shannon Scroggins, father of two Slinger students, said.

According to the Washington-Ozaukee COVID-19 dashboard, a school investigation is one or more positive cases in a school setting, which cause the quarantine of close contacts or additional positive cases.

The following schools are listed:

• Allenton Elementary, Allenton
• Cedarburg High School, Cedarburg
• St. Francis Borgia of Cerdarburg, Cedarburg
• Thorson Elementary School, Cedarburg
• Kennedy Middle School, Germantown
• Rockfield Elementary School, Germantown
• Grafton High School, Grafton
• Central Middle School, Hartford
• Erin Middle School, Hartford
• GPS Education Partners, Hartford
• Hartford Union High School, Hartford
• Kewaskum High School, Kewaskum
• Kewaskum Middle School, Kewaskum
• Homestead High School, Mequon
• Lincoln Elementary School, Port Washington
• Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Port Washington
• Slinger Elementary School, Slinger
• Slinger High School, Slinger
• West Bend High School East, Went Bend

A total of 2,304 children have been tested in Ozaukee County. The total percent positive is 16.6%.

In Washington County, a total of 2,639 children have been tested. The total percent positive is 6.2%. 

The Ozaukee and Washington Counties COVID-19 dashboard states there are 695 active cases and 50 deaths total, including the school data.

The dashboard is updated at 4 p.m. weekdays and can be found here.