Seminole County school leaders try to prevent surge in COVID-19 cases as students, teachers return

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Students and teachers in Seminole County returned to the classroom Wednesday after their winter break.

With the omicron variant dominant, district leaders are trying to prevent a surge in COVID-19 cases in school.

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Leaders are asking students and teachers to stay home if they are sick.

The school district recently gave 7,000 COVID-19 testing kits to its staff and faculty.

READ: With COVID-19 case numbers exploding, some fear a repeat of 2020. Here’s what the numbers say.

“One per employee to test themselves before they go to their work location, just in case they might be symptomatic or have been in contact with someone who was sick,” said Michael Lawrence, a spokesperson with Seminole County Public Schools.

The hope is they’ll take the test if they feel sick and let the district know before school starts, in case they may have to shift staff around.

READ: Teacher arrested after giving student COVID-19 vaccine

The district wants workers who test positive to stay home and quarantine for five days.

Last week, a little more than 17,000 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Seminole County. The positivity rate is nearly 23%.

READ: CDC considers another change to COVID isolation guidelines

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