Students at two Central Florida schools returned to the classroom Monday after officials announced they were closing the schools following multiple positive COVID-19 cases on the campuses.
The Osceola County school district announced on Aug. 28 it was closing Harmony Middle School for two weeks after 10 staff members tested positive. District officials said 650 students and staff switched to digital learning during the closure.
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"This absolutely started during the preplanning experience,' Superintendent Dr. Debra Pace told News 6.
In Brevard County, students at Golfview Elementary are returning to school after almost two weeks of e-learning.
The district announced on Sept. 1 it was closing the school. District officials would not say how many COVID cases were reported, only saying it was a “low number.”
“You got to take precautions. This is serious. Nobody likes it, but what can you do?” James Neave, the grandparent of a Golfview Elementary student said.
James Neal dropped off his grandson at Golfview Elementary on Monday morning. News 6 spoke to him two weeks ago when the campus shutdown. His grandson is in second grade.
“That interaction in the classroom is much better than what we can provide at home,” Neal said.
Digital learning continues for another week at Olympia High School in Orange County. The school reported at least six positive cases last week. The health department said it connected some of the cases to a birthday party.
To keep track of the public school-related COVID-19 cases and the number of people in quarantine around the Central Florida region, News 6 and ClickOrlandocom created an easy-to-use, searchable database.