1,2; Alison Benda2; Peter Falk, OD3; Sarah Steffen, MMP2; Zachary Wallace2; Tracy Beth Høeg, MD, PhD4,5 (View author affiliations)COVID-19 outbreaks related to kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) classroom settings have been rarely reported; however, in-school transmission risk has not been well described.Among 17 rural Wisconsin schools, reported student mask-wearing was high, and the COVID-19 incidence among students and staff members was lower than in the county overall (3,453 versus 5,466 per 100,000).
Among 191 cases identified in students and staff members, only seven (3.7%) cases, all among students, were linked to in-school spread.With masking requirements and student cohorting, transmission risk within schools appeared low,.