SARS‐CoV‐2 Infections and Incidence at a North Carolina Pre‐Kindergarten‐12 School During In‐Person Education: August 2020 to January 2021

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND School closures were initially believed to mitigate SARS‐CoV‐2, but instead may have had a limited role in reducing community SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission. We describe a single school's experience with in‐person education during the COVID‐19 pandemic. METHODS From August 17, 2020 through January 23, 2021, we conducted a prospective study at a private pre‐kindergarten through 12th grade (PreK‐12) school in North Carolina. The school employed numerous SARS‐CoV‐2 mitigation measures, including mandatory masking and physical distancing without mandated laboratory screening tests. We analyzed de‐identified contact tracing data collected by the school. RESULTS Seventy‐five primary cases were reported among the 2110 students, faculty, and staff during the study period. Twenty‐one (28%) of the primary cases were on‐campus during their infectious periods; however, no classroom close‐contacts subsequently reported a positive SARS‐CoV‐2 test result. Two secondary cases likely resulted from unmasked exposure at a school athletic event. There was no correlation between community incidence and secondary transmission in the school. CONCLUSIONS Despite high rates of SARS‐CoV‐2 community incidence during the study period, routine mitigation practices including daily health screenings, mandatory face coverings, and efficient contact tracing contributed to minimal secondary SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission within an urban PreK‐12 school. The limited school‐associated transmission occurred when masks were not used during athletic events.