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School administrators explain details of COVID-19 procedures
Briona Arradondo reports
TAMPA, Fla. - For the first time since the reopening plan was released, parents and teachers got the chance to question administrators about what’s in store for Hillsborough County schools as they reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
School administrators took public questions during a virtual town hall Monday on topics ranging from the possibility of whole-class quarantines to whether families can decide to switch learning options for their students after school begins.
“We will not take temperature checks for every one of our students. Just imagine a high school that has multiple entry pathways. We just don’t have the staff to do it,” said Addison Davis, the Hillsborough County Public Schools superintendent. “We will take temperature checks of every one of our employees.”
If a student or teacher tests positive for the virus, school administrators explained the steps they would take.
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“A letter will be provided to those people who have come into direct contact with that person who has tested positive for COVID, and another letter will be provided to all students and staff members at the school,” said Tracye Brown, the chief of climate and culture at Hillsborough County Public Schools.
School leaders said they would work with the Florida Department of Health to do contact tracing and determine if an entire classroom needs to quarantine. The district is working with Tampa General Hospital and University of South Florida Health on the reopening plan.
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Medical experts told FOX 13 that deciding what to do for schools during the pandemic is challenging and will be a work in progress.
“I think we still have a lot to figure out in terms of what happens when we have a positive test in the school, in the classroom. Do we isolate or do we not isolate? Do we quarantine? It’s just a really difficult decision to contend with over the next month or so,” said Dr. Jason Wilson, of Tampa General Hospital.
As for what’s required to return, school leaders laid out their expectations for students.
“We will not require a negative test before a student returns to school. However, when a student is sent home with symptoms of COVID, we will do a temperature check when they return,” said Brown, who added that students would be asked several health-related questions.
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She said administrators would work with parents on their child’s health status on a case-by-case basis.
If a parent has second thoughts about their child’s learning option, Davis said they do not want families switching back and forth from online to in-class learning because that can affect class sizes and have ramifications on school funding.
“Once you commit, we want you to stick with the commitment. But we will look at it on a case-by-case basis if there are extenuating circumstances for students,” said Terry Connor, the deputy superintendent of instruction.
Administrators also said if a teacher called out sick, they would make sure there are enough substitutes to cover that teacher’s classes.
School leaders said the school year would still end on time with the proposed two-week start date delay and the school board is expected to vote on that delay and the reopening plan on Thursday.