CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The North Carolina school board is working with health officials on finding new ways to stop the spread of COVID-19 in schools.
According to newly released data from both the North Carolina Department of Health and State Board of Education, as of Tuesday, there are 126 cases of coronavirus associated with active clusters inside of North Carolina schools.
A breakdown of that number showed 88 cases are among students and 44 are among staff.
The clusters have been reported at a total of 15 schools from across the state, including Covenant Day School in Matthews.
Just last month, 7 people, including students and staff tested positive for coronavirus, weeks after most schools in the state reopened for in-person learning.
"What we're seeing is that most of the cases are coming from outside exposures, not in the school setting," Mecklenburg County's Health Director Gibbie Harris said.
The state's health department is now suggesting new broader testing strategies to keep schools COVID-19 free.
That includes testing all children and adults who were on campus during an active cluster at school monthly or weekly testing for districts operating in-person learning under plan A or Plan B, or one time testing for students and staff who wish to return to school for in-person learning.