13 Henrico schools have reported COVID cases in past 3 weeks

During the past three weeks, 13 Henrico schools have experienced at least one confirmed case of COVID-19 among staff members working in the schools, with about half of those occurring in the past 10 days days, according to information provided to the Citizen by Henrico County Public Schools.

In total, school system officials have been made aware of 27 positive cases among employees, though some occurred in employees who were working from home and had not been inside a school building, HCPS spokesman Andy Jenks said. Officials also have documented another 120 exposures or possible exposures during the same timeframe, according to Jenks.

On Monday, school officials reported cases among employees at Rivers Edge, Maybeury and Johnson elementary schools. Those announcements came three days after an employee of Rolfe Middle School who had been involved in distributing Chromebooks at that school tested positive.

Beginning Aug. 12, when an employee at Varina High School was diagnosed with the virus, Tuckahoe Middle (Aug. 18), Springfield Park Elementary (Aug. 20), Donahoe Elementary (Aug. 24), Twin Hickory Elementary (Aug. 24), Highland Springs Elementary (Aug. 24), Holman Middle (Aug. 25) and Quioccasin Middle (Aug. 25 and 26) also have experienced at least one case among employees who were working in those buildings, Jenks said.

But only Varina High School was closed, because the employee case there required several other employees to quarantine at home.