By Tim Mastro

Of Delaware’s public school population this year, 0.28% of students had an in-person contagious case of COVID-19 over a seven-day period, according to information released by the Delaware Division of Public Health on Wednesday.

The data, which has 388 cases for students and also shows 38 cases among staff, was tracked from Sept. 11-17. The state estimates 141,040 students are back in public schools entirely in person this year, with masks required, per an order from Gov. John Carney.

The percentage was a increase from 0.09% from the week prior when there were 130 in-person contagious cases among students. The state has recorded a total of 518 in-person contagious cases among students so far this school year with an additional 97 among staff.

Public school enrollment data is preliminary and will be finalized in late October or early November, according to DPH. The data published Wednesday on the state’s coronavirus website was for all of Delaware’s public schools, which include 19 districts and all charter schools. Delaware has 23 charter schools, which are a part of the public school system.

Private school data is not yet available and will be released when those schools’ enrollment information is available in the fall.

The Caesar Rodney School District accounted for the most cases among both students and staff this school year with 53 and 17, respectively. The 53 cases in students make up 0.6% of the estimated 8,266 students in the district this year.

The Indian River School District recorded the most in-person contagious cases in students for the week of Sept. 11-17 with 41. It has a total of 43 among students this school year — 0.4% of its estimated 10,578.

The Sussex Technical School District, which has an estimated 1,295 students, in the only district which has not had an in-person contagious case in a student so far this school year.

In-person contagious cases are defined by DPH as “persons who were present at school as far back as 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms (or test date if no symptoms). The source of infection of these cases cannot be attributed to schools, nor is it known that they are the source of infection to others in schools.”