By Mike Kruzman & Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


An off-site event is being named as the cause for an outbreak of positive COVID-19 cases in one Livingston County school district.

Every Monday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services updates school-related outbreaks. This week, nine new schools were added to the list, including Howell High School. Fourteen positive cases between both staff and students were listed.

District Spokesman Tom Gould told WHMI that all of the students who were affected by the outbreak have all returned to school. “Howell High School appears on the list due to several cases linked to the school's overnight marching band camp held at an off-site camp in mid-August. While the band camp was not held on our property since it was a school function, this fits the MDHHS description of a school-related outbreak."

In a letter sent to district parents (and posted below), Superintendent Erin MacGregor stated that "The Livingston County Health Department does not believe there has been any in-school transmission relating to this outbreak and that the risk for further transmission linked to these cases is very low. We will continue to work in partnership with the Livingston County Health Department and follow their advice and guidance to ensure the safety of our students and staff.”

However, Howell is also reporting 32 other COVID confirmations as of Monday, including 10 at Parker Middle school. How many students have been quarantined because of the confirmed cases is not known as Howell does not report quarantine numbers.

Hartland Consolidated Schools were the only other district that was already in session. Per data on their website, which is updated every Monday, there are 23 confirmed COVID cases among students and staff. Hartland Consolidated Schools is not on the MDHHS list. However, Round Elementary, which has 7 of those confirmed cases, is under a mask mandate through Labor Day that was ordered by Superintendent Chuck Hughes.

Students in both the Pinckney and Fowlerville Community School Districts started Monday. Brighton Area Schools will resume classes after Labor Day on Tuesday, September 7th.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases continue to climb across Michigan. The most recent data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services showed that over three days - Saturday, Sunday, and Monday - the average number of new confirmed cases was 1,673 per day.

The Livingston County Health Department reported a total of 16,032 confirmed cases, 2,236 probable cases, 515 hospitalizations, and 200 deaths since the start of the pandemic in March of 2020.