AUSTIN - The latest reports released by the Texas Department of State Health Services show a low increase in COVID cases among regional educators and staff members over the holidays, with none coming from school districts in Cass County.
The only districts to report new cases in the reporting period of Dec. 21 to Jan. 3 were Texarkana Independent School District, Red Lick ISD and Maud ISD - all reporting staff cases.
TISD added eight staff cases, increasing its total staff count since July 27 to 139. Its student total sits at 155, and they have an on-campus total student positivity rate of 2.9%, which is hovering around average compared to other Bowie districts.
Red Lick ISD added two staff cases, bringing its staff total to 14. Red Lick has a student total of 30 cases. Due to a relatively low on-campus enrollment population of 393 as of Oct. 30, its student positivity rate is by far the highest among either county, sitting at 7.6%.
Maud ISD added one staff case, and it now has a staff total of 12. It has 20 total student cases and an on-campus enrollment population of 429, making its positivity rate approximately 4.7%. That is the third-highest rate among either county.
Simms ISD remains the district with the lowest total student positivity rate. It is the only district in either county to report student cases with a rate below 1%.
There were no new cases reported in Cass County.
No total student case data was posted for Queen City ISD, but if previously reported totals remain correct, it would be sitting at 40 student cases. That would give it a student positivity rate of just over 4.7%, which would be the second-highest among all districts.
Avinger (0.8%) and Hughes Springs ISD (2.2%) have the lowest student rates in Cass.
All new cases were reported with a source of infection as either off-campus or unknown.