This Elmhurst School Sees Biggest Virus Impact

ELMHURST, IL — In the last three weeks, Elmhurst's Emerson Elementary School has seen more coronavirus cases than any other local public school, according to the school district's data. That includes York High School, which is more than six times larger in enrollment.

Since Nov. 13, Emerson has experienced 24 coronavirus cases. That compares with 23 at York.

Emerson, which has an enrollment of slightly more than 400, is making up a fifth of the coronavirus cases since Nov. 13 in Elmhurst School District 205, which has more than 8,000 students.

In earlier weeks of the semester, the district was seeing one or two dozen cases a week. For the last three weeks, the district has averaged 40 new cases weekly.

The situation in the schools is similar to what's going on in the wider community. Last week, Elmhurst experienced 151 new coronavirus cases, the highest weekly total since early January. Last week, Elmhurst Hospital saw a three-month high of 28 coronavirus patients.

Emerson made news in early November when more than 80 people showed up to protest the requirement that students wear masks. They said they were backing fifth grader Emmett Thompson, who decided a few weeks earlier to stop wearing a mask. In response, the school required he work in the principal's office.