Public school covid-19 cases drop to 2,455

But Bentonville, Cabot see increase in active infections

Active covid-19 cases in public schools again nosed downward to 2,455, a dip of about 6% compared with four days earlier, according to state data.

The total cases listed Monday in a report by the state Department of Health fell from the 2,605 total reported Thursday.

The department releases reports twice each week on active covid-19 cases among staff and students at educational institutions in the state.

Case totals remain elevated compared to two months ago, when a Dec. 7 report listed 2,205 active cases at public school districts. But the numbers have dropped compared to mid-January, when there were more than 3,400 active infections at public schools, according to Health Department data.

New infections and related quarantines continue to affect school instruction in the state, as some schools make temporary changes affecting in-person learning.

Terry Elementary School in the Little Rock School District will continue with its shift to virtual instruction through this week, district spokeswoman Pamela Smith said.

The district on Monday announced a shift to virtual instruction for Horace Mann Arts and Science Magnet Middle School through Friday.

Beginning this week, fifth-grade students at Forest Heights STEM Academy have shifted to virtual instruction, Smith said. The school is expected to resume its typical in-person instruction on Monday, Feb. 22, Smith said.

From 3 p.m. Friday through 3 p.m. Monday, the Little Rock district reported 15 new positive covid-19 test results across all schools and virtual education programs, including two related to the district’s transportation services.

The Health Department report Monday listed seven school districts as having 70 or more active cases of covid-19.

Three school districts in northwest Arkansas topped all others in case counts: Bentonville School District, with 101 active cases; Rogers School District with 94; and

Springdale School District with 89 cases.

Of the three, only the Bentonville School District had a rise in cases compared to four days earlier, with the numbers up compared to the 89 active cases listed in the Health Department’s Thursday report.

The other public school districts with 70 more more active covid-19 cases — as listed in Monday’s report — were all in Central Arkansas.

The Little Rock School District had 86 active cases, followed by the Conway School District with 85, the Cabot School District with 84 and the Pulaski County Special School District with 70 active cases. Among these four central Arkansas school districts, only the Cabot School district saw a rise in cases compared to four days earlier, with the numbers up compared to the 66 active cases listed in Thursday’s report.

Among colleges and universities in the state, the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville topped all schools with 77 active cases, followed by Lyon College in Batesville with 34 active cases and Arkansas Tech University in Russellville with 29 active cases, according to the state data.

The cumulative total for colleges and universities dipped to 464 as listed in Monday’s report, down from the 521 active cases listed in Thursday’s report.