Forty Arkansas school districts have had 50 or more new known COVID-19 infections per 10,000 district residents over a 14-day period, down slightly from 42 a week earlier, according to data posted today (Oct. 29) on our COVID-19 in Arkansas web page. Twelve school districts were added to the list this week, and 28 remained on the list.
Two districts, Mammoth Spring and Marked Tree, both in Northeast Arkansas, had 100 or more new known infections per 10,000 district residents over a 14-day period, or at least 1% of district residents. A week earlier, five districts, all in Northeast Arkansas, were at this level. This week we added a new color, purple, to the district map on our COVID-19 page to signify districts where 1% or more of the community is infected.
Our team identified school districts in the “red zone” for infections by analyzing data received Monday from the Arkansas Department of Health. The infections are among community residents living within the geographical boundaries of the school districts and are not specific to school employees and students. Known infections include confirmed cases and probable cases based on verbal reporting and antigen test results, as identified by the Department of Health.
“We may be getting tired of this virus, but it is not tired of us,” said ACHI President and CEO Dr. Joe Thompson. “Uncontrolled spread in our communities threatens our schools. We must be vigilant, especially as we enter the holiday season. Wear a mask, practice social distancing, wash your hands often, and consider safe alternatives to traditional holiday activities such as trick-or-treating, Halloween parties, and in-person family gatherings.”
Rates of new known infections in school districts across the state, as well as counts of cumulative and new infections, are tracked on our COVID-19 in Arkansas page. Rates and counts are not shown for districts with fewer than five infections, to reduce the possibility of identifying individuals. School district counts do not include infections among incarcerated populations, in nursing homes, or in human development centers.
The following 40 school districts had a rate of at least 50 new known infections per 10,000 district residents, or more than 0.5% of the population, for the period of Oct. 13 through Oct. 26. An asterisk denotes a district that entered the red zone this week.
- Armorel School District
- Augusta School District*
- Barton-Lexa School District
- Bay School District*
- Blytheville School District
- Brookland School District
- Buffalo Island Central School District
- Corning Public Schools
- Cross County School District*
- East Poinsett County School District*
- Gosnell School District*
- Green Forest School District
- Greene County Technical School District
- Harrisburg School District
- Helena-West Helena School District
- Highland School District*
- Hillcrest School District
- Hoxie School District
- Jackson County School District
- Jonesboro Public Schools
- Lawrence County School District
- Mammoth Spring School District (rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents)
- Manila School District
- Marion School District*
- Marked Tree School District (rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents)
- Marmaduke School District
- McCrory School District*
- Nettleton School District
- Nevada School District
- Osceola School District*
- Ozark School District
- Paragould School District
- Piggott School District*
- Pocahontas School District
- Riverside School District
- Sloan-Hendrix School District
- Texarkana School District*
- Trumann School District
- Valley View School District
- Waldron School District*
Fourteen districts that were in the red zone a week earlier, Brinkley, Clarendon, Concord, Deer/Mount Judea, Dierks, Greenwood, Maynard, Mulberry, Ouachita, Paris, Scranton, Searcy, Spring Hill, and Westside Consolidated, have dropped below that level in this week’s data.
