TAMPA BAY, Fla. - As schools finalize plans to reopen schools this fall semester, another focus is keeping them open with contingency plans.
What You Need To Know
- School districts finalizing re-opening plans
- Plans include what to do if there are potential cases on campus
- School districts work in tandem with health departments in response
- RELATED: Polk School District Fears Potential Major Cuts Under New Fiscal Budget
What will schools do if there is a positive case of coronavirus by a student or teacher?
Will there be a school-wide shut down or a more targeted approach?
Pinellas schools’ officials told Spectrum Bay News 9 they are taking a targeted approach.
In their draft plans, they have a detailed set of instructions on how to deal with a positive coronavirus case on campus.
Page 31 of this draft plan addresses investigations of potential and/or confirmed Covid-19 cases.
The draft explained school officials report to the incident to the Health Department and it's the Health Department in tandem with school officials who will decide what level of response comes next.
This includes whether it's quarantining an entire class and shutting down a building for cleaning.
Health officials would take the lead on contact tracing, although school officials would notify the entire school of the cases without revealing personal identifying health information of individuals infected.
The protocols determine who's at risk and according to their guidelines it would be anyone who's spent at least 15 minutes and less than six feet apart from the infected.
Officials said response for any reported infection on campus will be assessed in a case by case basis, as Hillsborough Schools officials also reported to Spectrum Bay News 9.
Their draft contingency plans are still being worked on.
Officials said a school-wide shutdown would only happen if it's merited.
It’s the same approach Manatee Schools would take as explained on county’s Frequently Asked Questions website.
Pasco County has published its FAQs online as well.
Hernando County Schools have their decision tree on what they'll do on page 33 of their reopening draft.
Again, in tandem with health officials, they would notify parents, decide what closures and quarantines are needed and what to do to clean facilities to re-open back up.
Officials said these are draft plans and as more questions are asked by parents and more information is made available to officials, the plans could change.