Janelle Irwin Taylor
Five students and one employee at Pinellas County schools were confirmed positive for COVID-19 over the weekend and on Monday.
The cases, identified at six schools, resulted in nine partial classroom quarantines and quarantines on two buses and among a small group of students.
Student cases were identified at Northshore Elementary School, Richard O. Jacobsen High School, Clearwater Fundamental Middle School, Hollins High School (formerly Dixie Hollins) and Countryside High School.
An employee case was identified at Pinellas Park Middle School.
Countryside High had the most classrooms impacted with five partial classroom quarantines, followed by Clearwater Fundamental Middle School where three partial classrooms were affected. Northshore Elementary issued quarantines in one partial classroom and on two buses while Hollins High School quarantined a small group of students.
No quarantines were necessary at Pinellas Park Middle or Jacobsen High.
Quarantines are generally issued when a positive person has contact with someone within six-feet for at least 15-minutes. The new “surgical” quarantine determinations allow schools to issue fewer overall quarantines.
Since schools reopened Aug. 24, 54 schools have reported cases of COVID-19. A total of 53 students and 32 employees at schools have tested positive for the virus resulting in at least 141 partial or complete classroom quarantines (most are partial), as of Tuesday. A few buses and some clusters of students have also been impacted as well as the Palm Harbor University High School varsity football team.
Westgate Elementary School has had the most cases — five — but has only issued quarantines in four classrooms. East Lake and Countryside High Schools have had the most quarantines with 12 classrooms each affected.
While it’s impossible to tell from available data, it doesn’t appear there has been widespread spread within schools as reported cases have not shown subsequent new cases.
It’s now been more than two weeks since Labor Day and cases in schools don’t appear to have suffered any substantial spike.
One comment
Mary
September 23, 2020 at 3:38 pm
Just so everyone knows my daughter was sent home Thursday the 17th of September for a high temperature that was caused by the sun at PE class. As soon as i took her to get tested same day her fever was gone. Both her covid tests came back negative and she still can’t return to school. She was counted buy the school as a positive when in fact she was negative. These numbers are inflated because of situations just like this. The case is not corrected once covid tests come back negative
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