District extends quarantine period to 10 days; COVID cases climb on first day of school
We sincerely apologize for any confusion. Positive students will be required to stay home for 10 days--not 5. They can return early if they provide a negative test or have a note from their doctor. Our schools will be sending out further information via email this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/TFUlDsWHul
— Leon County Schools (@LeonSchools) January 5, 2022
Leon County Schools will extend its quarantine period from five to 10 days for students who test positive for COVID-19, according to Superintendent Rocky Hanna.
Hanna, who on Tuesday said he had not yet received guidance from the Florida Department of Education, said the district received information later that night from the state about COVID-19 protocols.
"I'm frustrated, but I apologize that we sent out the guidance yesterday, but we had to do something given that our students were returning. We have to abide by state law, and we will abide by the rules set forth by the state of Florida as directed by the governor. Thank you for understanding." Hanna said in a video posted to Twitter.
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The district originally went with the latest U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance and implemented a five-day quarantine period for students but will now extend quarantine to 10 days to follow the state.
After 10 days, if the student who tested positive is asymptomatic, they may return to school. Also after the 10 days, if the student still has some mild symptoms but the symptoms are improving, they can return to school.
Students can return early if they provide a negative test or a note from a doctor.
Quarantine rules for employees did not change. Employees can still return to school after five days.
The district's COVID-19 dashboard will continue to be updated daily through the latest omicron surge. On Tuesday, the district recorded 11 self-reported COVID-19 cases among student and staff.
As of noon Wednesday, however, the number of positive cases for the week jumped to just over 60, district spokesperson Chris Petley said.
The district can no longer require students to wear a mask after the Florida Legislature made a state law out of Gov. Ron DeSantis' emergency order that prevents school officials from imposing vaccine or mask requirements on students.
Contact Ana Goñi-Lessan at AGoniLessan@tallahassee.com and follow her on Twitter @goni_lessan.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon County Schools extends COVID quarantine period to 10 days
