SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – About one week after students returned to their classrooms for face-to-face learning in Seminole County, district officials said 12 people had tested positive for COVID-19.
Michael Lawrence, the communications officer for Seminole County Public Schools, said the positive COVID-19 cases include both teachers and students.
Lawrence said most of those who are infected had a test prior to the start of the school year and are just now receiving their results.
According to Lawrence, the 12 confirmed cases have resulted in quarantining at the following nine schools in Seminole County:
- (2) teachers quarantined prior to the school year starting at Altamonte Elementary, set to return next week
- (18) individuals quarantining at Lake Mary Elementary
- (21) individuals quarantining at Lawton Elementary
- (15) individuals quarantining at Wilson Elementary
- (11) individuals quarantining at Teague Middle School
- (3) individuals quarantining at Winter Springs High School
- (11) individuals quarantining at Hagerty High School
- (26) individuals quarantining at Lyman High School
- (51) individuals quarantining at Lake Brantley High School
“Just because we are quarantining those individuals, doesn’t mean that those individuals are also going to be positive,” Lawrence said. “It’s just out of an abundance of caution.”
He said the district has worked with the Department of Health to conduct contact tracing, and that several factors determine who needs to quarantine.
“So we really want to make sure that they’ve had close contact, within that 6 feet, masks or no masks, with that longer than 15 minutes of time,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence said for those students and teachers who are quarantining, the district has helped them pivot to using Seminole Connect, the county’s remote learning platform.
He also said the number of cases changes daily as the district continues to receive updated reports, and that as the number of cases changes, the number of those in quarantine will also change.