Janelle Irwin Taylor
Osceola Fundamental High School has quarantined it Junior Varsity and Varsity volleyball teams after three students tested positive for COVID-19 at the school.
Three volleyball teams, including the varsity team at St. Petersburg High School, have now been quarantined.
It’s not clear from the data the Pinellas County School District provides whether all three cases at Osceola were related to the volleyball quarantines or if the cases are related to those at St. Pete High. The two varsity teams last faced each other on Sept. 26, 12 days before the Osceola quarantines were confirmed and 11 after St. Pete High confirmed its case.
Since the St. Pete High matchup, Osceola High’s varsity volleyball team has faced Tarpon Springs, East Lake, Academy of the Holy Names (a private school in Tampa,) Keswick Christian in St. Pete and Tampa Prep.
Its next game was scheduled for Friday night against St. Pete High again. The district did not say whether the game would be postponed or canceled, but with both teams quarantined, it seemed unlikely they would face off.
In addition to the two volleyball teams, Osceola Fundamental High also issued quarantines in six partial classrooms. The school has now confirmed cases among nine students, resulting in quarantines in 23 classrooms.
The district also confirmed cases Thursday at San Jose Elementary School, Oak Grove Middle School and Clearwater Fundamental Middle School.
San Jose Elementary reported its first case, a student, since school reopened Aug. 24, but the case did not result in any quarantines.
Oak Grove Middle also confirmed its first case, a student, and issued quarantines in four partial classrooms and on one partial bus.
Clearwater Fundamental Middle confirmed one student case, resulting in seven partial classroom quarantines. The school has now confirmed three student cases resulting in 17 partial classroom quarantines.
Also reported Thursday was one employee case at the Discovery Academy of Science charter school, which resulted in one classroom quarantine.
District wide, 71 traditional public schools have reported cases of COVID-19. A total of 109 students and 45 employees at non-charter schools have tested positive since classes resumed. At least 305 classrooms have been impacted.
