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Seminole schools lays out action plan for combating coronavirus

School buses among the items being deep cleaned daily

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Seminole County public school leaders tackled what the district is doing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and other illnesses on Tuesday.

During the school board meeting for Seminole County Public Schools, the board members heard a presentation from the Florida Department of Health.

Donna Walsh, health officer for Seminole County, said her team continued to receive several calls each day from residents concerned they were ill.

She said only a handful of people have been tested for the coronavirus, and none has come back positive.

The presentation turned to what school leaders are doing to keep students and staff safe.

Health workers said they have a team of 16 transportation crews working to disinfect Seminole County school buses each night.

They said it's a process that includes the cleaning of seat belts, walls, seats and the steering column of each bus.

It's an effort that continues inside the schools.

"We provided additional staff to make sure that those classrooms are getting done in the evenings, in addition to getting done during the day," said Kim Dove, Director of Facilities Services.

The Director of Teaching and Learning, Shawn Gard-Harrold, unveiled a plan he said his team has been working on in the event students and staff are ordered to stay home.

He said it included a 10-day, online plan for each grade, where students can tackle social studies, math and more.

Surveys went out of parents in Seminole and Volusia counties on Tuesday night to make sure parents have the internet connections and the equipment to make it happen.

Dr. Walt Griffin, superintendent for Seminole County Public Schools, said his district followed the recommendation from the state education commissioner on Tuesday, by banning field trips that required air travel for students until the end of the school year.