Newton High School is now a COVID-19 cluster, Harvey County health officials say

Harvey County health officials have identified an outbreak of the coronavirus at a Newton public school.

The cluster includes five active COVID-19 cases at Newton High School, county officials announced Wednesday in a news release. The local health department is investigating to determine the source of exposure.

“We take this very seriously,” USD 373 Superintendent Fred Van Ranken said in a statement. “We work with the Health Department to conduct contact tracing, and will continue to implement plans to keep our students and staff safe.”

The high school is in a hybrid learning model through at least Nov. 13, despite high levels of community spread in Harvey County.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reports two key school reopening indicators on a color-coded map. The two-week rate of new cases in Harvey County is 639 per 100,000 people, which is 326% higher than the red zone threshold. The red zone of the state’s school reopening guide calls for moving all classes for all grade levels online only and canceling sports.

The two-week positive test rate in Harvey County is 13.38%, which is in the orange zone. The orange zone calls for moving middle and high school online only, but keeping elementary students in a hybrid model, while stopping sports and other extracurricular activities.

Local school boards are not required to follow the state’s plan.

“We have worked closely with the Newton High School leadership to quickly identify the close contacts of the positive cases to have those individuals quarantine,” Harvey County Health Department Director Lynnette Redington said in a statement. “The school district has been and continues to be in consistent communication with the Health Department as the district implements comprehensive strategies to promote safe learning environments for students and staff.”