LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas school superintendent died Tuesday from the illness caused by the coronavirus, officials said.
The Atkins School District announced that Superintendent Jody Jenkins died due to complications from COVID-19. Jenkins announced on Sept. 13 that he had tested positive for the virus and had been hospitalized for the past several days.
“He loved the community, he loved his school, and he adored all of the students,” the school said in a post on its Facebook page.
Teacher deaths in other states have prompted alarms about the return to in-person classes. Classes resumed in Arkansas last month and the state said there are 717 active cases in public schools. The state is requiring schools to be open five days a week for in-person instruction, though they can also offer virtual or hybrid options.
The White House Coronavirus Task Force said in a weekly report the state released Tuesday that Arkansas last week had 194 new cases per 100,000 population, the 7th highest rate in the country. Though it dropped from being 4th in the country a week earlier, the state remained in the “red zone” for new cases.
Arkansas had a 6.9% test positivity rate, the 17th highest in the country, putting it in the “yellow zone.”
