Hundreds of Wichita students, staffers contract COVID-19

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) – Hundreds of students and staff members in Kansas’ largest school district have contracted the coronavirus as the pandemic surges.

Data released Friday shows that cases among staff in the Wichita school district increased to 799 from 389 from Nov. 15 until Thursday. Cases among students rose to 383 from 244 over that period.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,044 employees are under quarantine, which is about 14% of the workforce.

The staff quarantines, lack of substitutes and rising COVID-19 case numbers and indicators forced the district’s Board of Education to vote on Nov. 30 to send about 13,000 elementary students home to learn remotely through at least Jan. 11.