Alachua County Public Schools has 229 students and faculty in quarantine as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the school district’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Under protocol, those in quarantine reflect positive COVID-19 cases and people who had significant contact with someone who is positive. In the case of sports teams – if an athlete or coach tests positive – the entire team must quarantine. ACPS’s total enrollment is 26,653 students as of Tuesday, according to the dashboard.
There are 15 active student cases and four active staff cases as of Tuesday afternoon. These cases represent students and staff who have reported a positive test result to ACPS within the past 10 days.
If one student tests positive in the class, it is not protocol for the entire class to quarantine in all instances. However, ACPS spokesperson Jackie Johnson said if the teacher or school learns the student had significant contact with others, the school will always act on the side of caution and ask the student to quarantine.
The majority of contacts in quarantine continue to be tied to athletes who have tested positive on sports teams, Johnson said. While the ACPS basketball season is over, the entire Gainesville High School varsity basketball team and coaches are in quarantine due to a positive case, she said. The team played Eastside High on February 12 and Bradford High on February 10, according to the schedule.
ACPS continues to follow the advice of the Scientific Medical Advisory Council, which includes UF experts who monitor the county’s COVID-19 cases on a daily basis and determine classroom spread, Johnson said.
In elementary schools, there are 3 student cases and 1 staff case, as of Tuesday afternoon.
In middle schools, there are 3 student cases, as of Tuesday afternoon.
In high schools, there are 9 student cases and 2 staff cases, as of Tuesday afternoon.
In departments, there is 1 staff case, as of Tuesday afternoon.
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Contact Daniella Sevares at dsevares@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @DaniellaSevares.
Daniella Sevares is a third-year student and an education reporter for the Metro team. She’s from Miami, and she loves going to the beach when she’s not writing.