HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — It’s proving to be an inauspicious start to the new school year.
A day before the Hillsborough County School Board scheduled an emergency meeting to discuss the surge in coronavirus rates among public school students, the school district reported that 8,400 students are now in quarantine or isolation after contracting or being exposed to the virus.
On Monday, the district reported 5,599 students and 316 employees in quarantine or isolation, prompting the board to call an emergency meeting Wednesday from 1 to 3:30 p.m. On Tuesday, that number increased by nearly 2,400 students.
Of that total, 1,138 students and 465 staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Hillsborough County School District COVID-19 Dashboard.
Isolation is for those who have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, while quarantine is for those who have had close contact with someone with a positive case.
At the meeting, the school board will discuss the best way to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, including mandating face coverings for all students and staff,
The board will allow for one hour of public comment at the meeting, at 901 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa.
Those who have tested positive include 48 employees at the school district office in downtown Tampa.
Schools with the most students testing positive are:
- Pepin Academies with campuses in Riverview and Tampa – 40
- Durant High School – 26
- Plant High School – 25
- Newsome High School – 20
- Mabry Elementary School – 20
- Waterset Charter School – 20
- Sumner High School – 19
The Hillsborough County School District is the seventh largest in the nation. It has 213,491 students and 23,596 employees.
