Alachua County Public Schools had 84 students and faculty members in quarantine as of Tuesday evening — a decrease of about 39% since May 11, according to the school district’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Under the district’s protocol, those in quarantine reflect positive COVID-19 cases and people who had significant contact with someone who tested positive.
As of Tuesday night, there were five active student cases and zero active staff cases. Active cases reflect ACPS students and staff who tested positive in the past 10 days.
Since the beginning of the school year, 720 Alachua County students and staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.
ACPS has been working with the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County to schedule vaccination clinics on some of the school’s campuses. On April 22, vaccination sites opened at Buchholz and Gainesville High School, providing staff members, in-person and Digital Academy students who are at least 16 the opportunity to get the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
The Food and Drug Administration authorized the Pfizer vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 15 years old on May 10, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the decision on May 12.
Now, ACPS students who are at least 12 years old are starting to get their Pfizer vaccines at vaccine clinics across the county.
More than 650 students at Gainesville and Buchholz High School got either their first or second dose Thursday, and more than 140 students received the first dose of the vaccine Monday at Westwood Middle School, the county’s first middle school vaccination site.
Students ages 12 to 17 are required to have a signed consent form in order to get the vaccine, and locations and dates for vaccines vary for each school, according to the ACPS website.
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Cases in Alachua County Public Schools In elementary schools, there is 1 student COVID-19 case, as of Tuesday afternoon. · Talbot Elementary: 1 student In middle schools, there are 2 student COVID-19 cases, as of Tuesday afternoon. · Lincoln Middle: 1 student · Oak View Middle: 1 student In high schools, there is 1 student COVID-19 case, as of Tuesday afternoon. · Gainesville High: 1 student In centers, there is 1 student COVID-19 case, as of Tuesday afternoon. · Sidney Lanier Center: 1 student |
Contact Maya Erwin at merwin@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @mayaerwin3.
Maya is a third-year journalism major at the University of Florida covering university general assignment news for The Alligator. In her free time, Maya loves traveling, spending time with friends and listening to music.
