Above is the raw “school outbreak” data from Houghton County schools and universities, as reported to the state by the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department, through mid-April. But the raw data leaves a lot of unanswered questions.

What is a ‘school outbreak’?

While each positive case of COVID-19 discovered is followed up on by the health department, not every positive case in a school is considered part of a school-based outbreak. WUPHD has been using guidelines from the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.

So a ‘school outbreak’ is when the available information points to transmission happening at the school. This definition was developed to try to exclude outbreaks in the greater community that might affect the school, but CSTE acknowledges that establishing that separation is still difficult.

George Stockero, Superintendent of the Copper Country Intermediate School district, is doubtful of transmission in area K-12 schools at all.

“We have struggled to have anyone… show us that there are outbreaks within the school,” he said.

He thinks more often it’s student activities outside of school that then impact the schools.

How are they detected?

Michigan Technological University’s onsite testing lab is a big part of the detection apparatus there, according to Ian Repp, the associate vice president for university marketing and communications. After the school-wide testing at the start of the fall semester, MTU instituted both randomized testing among the student body and targeting testing for those who have displayed symptoms or had close contact with known positive cases.

MTU also monitors the wastewater stream coming from their residence halls. This was shown to accurately predict outbreaks before students started showing symptoms, and was a way to anticipate needed testing and other supplies and safety measures.

“We were proud to be one of the first to sort of get it up and running,” Repp said. “It’s certainly a method that works.”

The wastewater testing doesn’t detect individual cases, so individual testing would have to be used to determine inclusion in a state-reported outbreak.

MTU also had its own contact tracing team, led by Kelly Kamm and staffed by students. They could do it much more efficiently than the health department on campus.

There was no testing of K-12 students beyond what was recommended for the entire community until weekly rapid-testing of school athletes was required by the state.

Who is told about outbreaks?

Positive test results from testing labs, including MTU’s, are reported directly to the health department, who then handles reporting to the state and coordinating or executing contact tracing. Students are contacted directly by contact tracers and the communication doesn’t go through the school administration.

At MTU, Repp says housing and residence hall staff are informed only as much as needed to help with creating adequate isolation spaces.

Communication between K-12 schools and WUPHD was also daily and back and forth. Positive cases discovered through the school are reported to WUPHD, and vice-versa. Decisions on quarantines and isolations are sent from the health department to the school after compiling the information.

“Ultimately, it’s the health department who tells us who is and who isn’t quarantined, and for how long,” Stockero said.

How are outbreaks handled?

Cases aren’t handled any differently if they’re part of an outbreak. Those who are positive for COVID-19 isolate, and those who have been exposed but may not be carrying it quarantine to decrease the potential for further spread.

At MTU, students who were exposed but not necessarily positive would quarantine in their own room, according to Repp. Areas of residence halls were designated isolation spaces, and the definitively positive would move there until they were asymptomatic. Students were checked on daily by contact tracers, as well as Dean of Students Joe Cooper.

Repp said little enforcement action was necessary.

“On campus, we honestly didn’t really have to enforce it,” he said. “We were proud of our effort.”

Any misconduct could be handled through the student code of conduct policy, but Repp said they “never really got there.”

In K-12 schools, there have been some entire classrooms closed down for quarantine, but Stockero said often that was only for potential exposures, and no positive cases would be found. Educators being prioritized for vaccination kept staff from being quarantined.

“That definitely helped,” Stockero said.

When is an outbreak over?

For a positive case to be included in an outbreak, it has to be connected through a vector of transmission within a 14-day period. So if a new case emerges the following week, but no common contact is found with the previous week’s outbreak, it isn’t considered part of that outbreak.

An outbreak is over when no new cases are linked to it for 28 days.

What does the future look like?

At MTU, summer classes are moving forward. MTU’s task force is still working on what the pandemic safety expectations will be.

“I’m optimistic that we’ll have a more relaxed environment in the summer and fall,” Repp said.

Nonetheless, they have the programs in place to tighten restrictions and ramp up testing and other measures if it becomes necessary.

Repp also said that many professors have found advantages to some of the changes during the pandemic, particularly “asynchronous” class structures that allow for more flexible schedules. These could be more widely utilized going forward even as pandemic restrictions ease.

Stockero said there are cautiously optimistic plans to have a mostly normal graduation this spring. He expects summer schools to be busy helping students catch up. Data has shown at-home learners have had lower grades and more failures, and Stockero believes it’s because of the lack of in-person connection.

“We want kids in school,” he said.

Stockero sees technology being used more in the future, though. The pandemic forced teachers, students, and parents to learn how to use online educational technologies. It also highlighted the need for better rural internet infrastructure, which is attracting government spending.

“A lot of money, and a lot of ideas,” Stockero said.

If you’re a teacher, parent or student who would like to share your story about how a school outbreak was handled, reach out to me@joshuavissers.com.