COVID-19 School vs. Community-Based Outbreak Trends among New Jersey K-12 Schools during the 2020-2021 School Year

Identifying potential rapid methods to track COVID-19 trends within schools has become a necessity in understanding how to provide both education and maintain health and safety during a pandemic. This study examined COVID-19 trends and sociodemographic information in New Jersey (NJ) schools during the 2020-2021 school year. A database was compiled for this study in Microsoft Excel using various state and federal resources. Data used in the study are a combination of extracted data from weekly NJ Spotlight reports, weekly NJ COVID-19 Activity Level Index (NJ CALI) reports, and reports of school-based outbreaks via the NJ Department of Health (NJDOH). In 2020-2021, in NJ K-12 schools, the NJDOH defined a school-based outbreak incidence as two or more students and/or adult staff with a laboratory-confirmed positive molecular test for COVID-19 based on transmission occurring on campus. Data were organized into six regions across 21 counties within NJ (3-4 counties per region per NJDOH). COVID-19 trends in NJ schools mirrored trends in their districts, i.e., communities, within the state's region; noticeably, there were consistently high trends during the winter holiday season (November 2020-January 2021). The cumulative number of incidences of school-based outbreaks remained relatively low but, nevertheless, increased throughout the 2020-2021 school year. This study recommends increased accessibility to COVID-19 reports for school and public health officials, and in the future for data to be reported to identify rates of transmission of other communicable diseases within K-12 students, and to further reinforce established mandates and other preventative measures in public while traveling during holiday seasons.