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Editor’s note: Case counts, which appear in the print version of this story, have been updated as of Sept. 8

Teacher Ruth Cuellar sits between kindergarteners Yissel, left, and Alonso, right, at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto on Aug. 26, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier.
Teacher Ruth Cuellar sits between kindergarteners Yissel, left, and Alonso, right, at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto on Aug. 26, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier.

Following a general trend of decreased COVID-19 infections countywide in the last few weeks, case counts remain low in local schools but are still present.

A total of 99 cases were reported in the Sequoia Union High School District the week of Aug. 29, according to the nearly 10,000-student district’s COVID-19 dashboard. During the first week of school, which began on Aug. 17, there were 78 cases.

There was an average of 128 cases per day in San Mateo County as of Wednesday, Sept. 7, according to The New York Times. This is a 22% decrease from the average two weeks ago. Cases began to spike in mid-May with the emergence of the BA.2 omicron subvariant.

“With COVID-19 still spreading in our community, we continue to work closely with the San Mateo County Office of Education and San Mateo County Health to keep our school communities safe and healthy,” said Sequoia district Superintendent Darnise Williams in a Sept. 2 message to families. “We have gained valuable experience over the last three years and continue to adapt health guidelines to ensure schools can focus on what they do best.”

Teacher Monica Gutierrez checks on second grade student Amberly at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto on Aug. 26, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier.
Teacher Monica Gutierrez checks on second grade student Amberly at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto on Aug. 26, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier.

Case counts following Labor Day weekend have not yet been reported. Cases have tended to spike after holidays and long weekends, when people tend to travel and gather.

The Ravenswood City School District was the last local district to drop its mask mandate last month shortly before the school year began. School began on Aug. 24. The district reported just eight cases from Aug. 27 to Sept. 2.

There were just nine cases reported the week of Aug. 29 in the TK-8 Menlo Park City School District, compared to 19 cases during the week of Aug. 22. The school year began on Aug. 18.

The Las Lomitas and Portola Valley school districts have not published COVID-19 dashboards like they did last school year. They discontinued their dashboards this year because the districts no longer provide testing on site. It’s hard to have accurate data to provide on a dashboard, said Kelli Twomey, who handles public relations for the two districts, in an email.

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Angela Swartz was The Almanac's editor from 2023 until 2025. She joined The Almanac as a reporter in 2018. She previously reported on youth and education, and the towns of Atherton, Portola Valley and...

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