This section provides guidance when community members are either suspected or confirmed to have COVID. In all cases parents must immediately inform the appropriate individual of all suspected or verified COVID cases. This excludes daily Health Checks of which the school will already be aware.
Scenario 1 – Health Check Symptoms are present – assume possible COVID
- Your child must be seen or be consulted by a doctor within 24 hours to rule out COVID.
- Contact the school nurse with your doctor’s recommendations before returning to school.
Scenario 2 – Tested Positive for COVID with symptoms
- Quarantine for a minimum of 10 days but must also have three consecutive days with no fever and improved symptoms before returning to school.
Scenario 3 – Tested Positive for COVID without symptoms
- Quarantine for 10 days following the test.
Scenario 4 – Have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID
- Close contact is defined as having been in close proximity to a COVID-positive individual for a minimum amount of time during which social distance did not or could not occur and face coverings were not being worn.
- Individuals who have been in close contact need to call their doctor or the school nurses for guidance about testing recommendations.
- Individuals who have been in close contact as described above need to quarantine for 14 days after exposure.
General Guidelines for those who have or suspect having COVID
- Self-monitor for symptoms (check temperature twice a day), also watch for fever, cough, shortness of breath, diarrhea, or other symptoms (per the above list).
- Quarantine is meant to be self isolation to preclude potential spread of the virus.
- Individuals who have a weakened immune system due to a health condition or medication should be in close contact with their doctor for guidance if they suspect to have COVID or tested positive.
Scenario 5 – Student tests positive in the classroom
Per the Florida Department of Health, protocols are based on students’ and teacher’s exposure within the classroom.
Close contact has occurred if any of the following happened while an individual (student, teacher, or staff person) interacted with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19, even if they didn’t have symptoms during their infectious period. The school will proactively inform all parents of the possible exposure when this scenario takes place to include classroom exposure in which face coverings and social distancing have taken place. Further determinations will be implemented based on exposure risk and guidelines from the CDC and the Florida Health Department.
- Had direct physical contact with the person (for example, a hug, kiss, or handshake).
- Were within 6 feet of the person for 15 minutes or more. This includes single encounters OR multiple encounters within a single day adding up to 15 minutes.
- Had contact with the person’s respiratory secretions (for example, coughed or sneezed on; contact with a dirty tissue; shared a drinking glass, food, towels, or other personal items).
This definition applies even if protective measures, such as face coverings, face shields, or physical barriers (for example, plexiglass, partitions), were used. While these protective measures reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19, it does not negate the need for a quarantine if the criteria above are met.
To determine within the classroom setting if a subset of students need to be quarantined versus a whole classroom, details needs to be obtained to make an informed decision. Factors to consider include age of students involved, classroom layout, seat assignments, movement of students and staff within the classroom, and length of exposure. Examples are below:
- If desks are placed 6 feet apart, students remain at their desks throughout the duration of class, and the teacher remains at the front of the class at least 6 feet away from any students, there would be no close contacts identified in the classroom.
- If desks are placed less than 6 feet apart, students remain at their desks throughout the duration of class, and the teacher remains at the front of the class at least 6 feet away from any students, those students within the 6-foot radius of the case would be considered close contacts and should be placed in quarantine. The teacher and students outside the 6-foot radius would not need to quarantine.
- If the classroom is arranged such that students are moving freely throughout the classroom without maintaining 6-foot distance and interacting with the teacher, all students and the teacher would be considered close contacts and should be placed in quarantine, given that the duration of free movement exceeded 15 minutes total in a day.
- If the students move between multiple classrooms throughout the day and desks are placed less than 6 feet apart, those students within the 6-foot radius in each of the classrooms the case was in would be considered close contacts and should be placed in quarantine.