Saginaw, Bay and Midland county schools COVID-19 roundup for week of Sept. 20

SAGINAW, MI - All public school districts in Saginaw, Bay and Midland counties have at least one confirmed COVID-19 case since returning to classes.

During the week of Monday, Sept. 13, three districts - Saginaw Township Community Schools, Swan Valley School District and Pinconning Area School District - instituted mask mandates after dealing with escalating caseloads and quarantines. They join Saginaw Public Schools, which began the year with a mandate, and Midland Public Schools, which required masks for K-6 students and staff after dealing with an outbreak.

After at least two weeks of school in each district, Saginaw Public Schools has seven cumulative cases, the smallest caseload in all three counties proportional to its 2020-2021 school year enrollment at just 0.12% of its student body. On the other end of the spectrum, St. Charles Community Schools has the highest proportional caseload with 60 confirmed, roughly equivalent to just under 7% of its student body, though its COVID-19 dashboard does not clearly differentiate between student and staff cases for some reports.

A total of 265 students and staff have been quarantined since classes began at St. Charles Tuesday, Aug. 24. St. Charles High School entered virtual learning for at least two weeks as of Wednesday, Sept. 15 after a large outbreak that has also forced its football team to forfeit two games.

Midland Public Schools still has the highest overall number of cases at 125, though only 23 are currently active as of Friday, Sept. 17.

Saginaw County

Birch Run Area Schools

• Weeks in: 4
• Total cumulative cases: 28
  • Previous week: 14
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (1,843): 1.25%
    • Cumulative student cases: 23
    • Cumulative staff cases: 5
• Last updated: Monday, Sept. 20

Bridgeport-Spaulding Community School District:

• Weeks in: 2
• Total cumulative cases: 7
  • Previous week: 1
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (1,494): 0.40%
    • Cumulative student cases: 6
    • Cumulative staff cases: 1
• Last updated: Monday, Sept. 20

Carrollton Public Schools:

• Weeks in: 3
• Total cumulative cases: 15
  • Previous week: 4
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (1,796): 0.78%
    • Cumulative student cases: 14
    • Cumulative staff cases: 1
• Last updated: Monday, Sept. 20

Chesaning Union Schools:

• Weeks in: 4
• Total cumulative cases: 11
  • Last week: At least 3
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (1,424): 0.77%
    • Dashboard does not clearly differentiate between student and staff cases.
• Last updated: Thursday, Sept. 16

Frankenmuth School District

• Weeks in: 3
• Total cumulative cases: 9
  • Previous week: N/A
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (1,365): 0.59%
    • Cumulative student cases: 8
    • Cumulative staff cases: 1
  • Current cases: 7
• Last updated: Friday, Sept. 17

Freeland Community School District:

• Weeks in: 3
• Total cumulative cases: 23
  • Previous week: 19
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (2,016): 0.99%
    • Cumulative student cases: 20
    • Cumulative staff cases: 3
• Quarantined: 3
• Last updated: Friday, Sept. 17

Hemlock Public School District:

• Weeks in: 4
• Total cumulative cases: 31
  • Previous week: 22
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (1,167): 2.40%
    • Cumulative student cases: 28
    • Cumulative staff cases: 3
• Quarantined: 0
• Last updated: Friday, Sept. 17

Merrill Public Schools:

• Weeks in: 4
• Total cumulative cases: 11
  • Previous week: 11
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (545): 1.83%
    • Cumulative student cases: 10
    • Cumulative staff cases: 1
• Last updated: Friday, Sept. 10

Saginaw Public Schools:

• Weeks in: 3
• Total cumulative cases: 7
  • Previous week: 4
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (5,187): 0.12%
    • Cumulative student cases: 6
    • Cumulative staff cases: 1
• Last updated: Friday, Sept. 17
• Saginaw Public Schools has mandated universal masking since starting classes on Monday, Aug. 30.

Saginaw Township Community Schools:

• Weeks in: 3
• Total cumulative cases: 31
  • Previous week: 18
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (4,706): 0.59%
    • Cumulative student cases: 28
    • Cumulative staff cases: 3
• Last updated: Friday, Sept. 17
• Saginaw Township Community Schools mandated universal masking effective Monday, Sept. 20.

St. Charles Community Schools:

• Weeks in: 4
• Total cumulative cases: 60
  • Last week: 17
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (861): 6.97%
    • Dashboard does not clearly differentiate between student and staff cases.
• Last updated: Friday, Sept. 17

Swan Valley School District:

• Weeks in: 3
• Total cumulative cases: 32
  • Previous week: 9
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (1,826): 1.59%
    • Cumulative student cases: 29
    • Cumulative staff cases: 3
• Last updated: Friday, Sept. 17
• Swan Valley School District required universal masking effective Wednesday, Sept. 15.

Bay County

Bay City Public Schools

• Weeks in: 4
• Total cumulative cases: 84
  • Previous week: 42
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (6,875): 1.15%
    • Cumulative student cases: 79
    • Cumulative staff cases: 5
• Cumulative quarantined: 513
• Last updated: Monday, Sept. 20

Bangor Township Schools

• Weeks in: 3
• Total cumulative cases: 13
  • Previous week: 11
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (2,528): 0.47%
    • Cumulative student cases: 12
    • Cumulative staff cases: 1
• Last updated: Thursday, Sept. 16

Essexville-Hampton Public Schools

• Weeks in: 3
• Total cumulative cases: 13
  • Previous week: 10
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (1,589): 0.76%
    • Cumulative student cases: 12
    • Cumulative staff cases: 1
• Cumulative quarantined: 74
• Last updated: Friday, Sept. 17

Pinconning Area School District

• Weeks in: 3
• Total cumulative cases: 48
  • Previous week: 28
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (1,200): 3.75%
    • Cumulative student cases: 45
    • Cumulative staff cases: 3
• Last updated: Friday, Sept. 17

Pinconning Area School District mandated masks effective Wednesday, Sept. 15.

Midland County

Midland Public Schools

• Weeks in: 4
• Total cumulative cases: 125
  • Last week: 98
  • Current cases: 23
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (7,389): 1.69%
    • Dashboard does not clearly differentiate between student and staff cases.
• Quarantined: 148
• Last updated: Friday, Sept. 17

Meridian Public Schools

• Weeks in: 3
• Total cumulative cases: 23
  • Last week: 11
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (1,314): 1.60%
    • Cumulative student cases: 21
    • Cumulative staff cases: 2
• Cumulative quarantined: 116
• Last updated: Tuesday, Sept. 14

Bullock Creek Schools

• Weeks in: 3
• Total cumulative cases: 12
  • Last week: 6
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (1,792): 0.61%
    • Cumulative student cases: 11
    • Cumulative staff cases: 1
  • Cumulative quarantined: 55
• Last updated: Thursday, Sept. 16

Coleman Community Schools

• Weeks in: 3
• Total cumulative cases: 11
  • Last week: 10
  • Student cases as a percentage of 2020/2021 enrollment (641): 1.72%
    • Dashboard does not clearly differentiate between student and staff cases.
• Last updated: Monday, Sept. 20

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Read more:

What caused the COVID-19 outbreak that closed St. Charles High School? Staff are investigating.

Parents protest Swan Valley school leaders’ mask requirement decision following COVID-19 outbreak

Tri-city area schools see new COVID cases in first weeks