COVID Cases Decline in Natrona County School District

The coronavirus pandemic continues, but the Natrona County School District has seen a few good trends recently, two officials told the district’s board of trustees on Monday.

The district works with, and takes the lead from the Casper-Natrona County School District, Verba Echols said. She is the associate superintendent of human resources and district services.

The numbers of positive COVID-19 cases is dropping, Echols said.

“We see an incredible decline of positives among staff, positive cases of COVID, and we see an incredible decline in that quarantine,” she said.

“Those numbers literally have dropped off to single digits in the last two weeks of reporting,” Echols said.

At one point, about 315 employees were not working because of COVID-related matters, she said. Either they themselves were quarantined or affected by a quarantine at a day care facility and so had to take care of their children at home.

Numbers aside, a visit to Kelly Walsh High School on Monday showed the district’s practices appear to be working, Echols said.

She and district Superintendent Mike Jennings did not see any child who was unmasked during two different transition periods between classes.

“If it hadn’t been for the masks, I don’t think you would know there was a pandemic,” Echols said. “Kids are happy … not to mention the staff.”

District Administrator of Curriculum Walt Wilcox said about 175 students we’re participating in remote learning at the beginning of January, and that number is down to 98 students.

Recent changes in some health orders now allow more people indoors in after school activities, Wilcox added.

Echols said the district intends to have all staff vaccinated, but that depends on setting dates and vaccine availability, she said. The district is contacting all employees to have them register and making an appointment.

That will include temporary service and seasonal employees such as coaches, Echols said.

The tentative plan is to have the vaccinations occur in late February and early March, she said.