{"id":3155,"date":"2021-10-07T10:04:49","date_gmt":"2021-10-07T14:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/?p=3155"},"modified":"2021-10-07T10:04:50","modified_gmt":"2021-10-07T14:04:50","slug":"dr-o-on-ease-of-covid-restrictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/2021\/10\/07\/dr-o-on-ease-of-covid-restrictions\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. O on Ease of COVID Restrictions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By James Grossmann<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

   During the 2020 to 2021 school year, high schools were faced with the problem of how to teach during the COVID-19 pandemic. With a risk of \u00ad<\/sub>\u00adthe pandemic spreading through the school faculty and students, several measures were put in place to help stop the spread of COVID-19. In the previous school year, St. Johns County School District (SJCSD) schools offered a hybrid school year with both brick and mortar and virtual learning, with students able to choose which one they prefer. This year, the only choices for students are full time brick and mortar and full time Florida Virtual School (FLVS) education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   On July 30, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 21-175, prohibiting schools from implementing a face mask mandate. In this order, DeSantis claimed that \u201cdespite recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) \u2018guidance,\u2019 forcing students to wear masks lacks a well-grounded scientific justification.\u201d As a result of this order, SJCSD cannot require students to wear a face mask at any time during this school year, forcing a change in strategy for combatting the spread of COVID-19. According to the SJCSD 2021-2022 Health and Safety Proposed Protocols, there are numerous modifications to how the pandemic is being handled. \u201cFace masks will be optional in school and on SJCSD transportation. Temperature checks will no longer be a daily routine when students, staff, or visitors arrive on school.\u201d Later, however, Tim Forson, the superintendent of SJCSD, announced on Aug. 24 that SJCSD school faculty, staff, and visitors must wear face masks for 30 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Florida
Gov. Ron Desantis<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

   Despite these requirements being changed, SJCSD still has restrictions in place to combat the spread of the pandemic. According to SJCSD\u2019s Student Quarantine FAQ page, if a student tests positive for COVID-19 or is in close contact with someone who has tested positive for over 15 minutes, they must quarantine and stay home for the next seven days. If the quarantined student is asymptomatic, they may return on the eighth day after their initial contact date. If the student receives a test for COVID-19 that comes back negative on day five or later from the contact date, the student may return to school immediately. If the student has been fully vaccinated for over two weeks or has already tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 90 days, they do not need to quarantine at all if they do not test positive and are asymptomatic. Students who are quarantined will need to keep up with schoolwork through online resources. For the school week of Sept. 7 to Sept. 10, there were five students who have tested positive on Sept. 7, 4 on Sept. 8, 5 on Sept. 9, and 7 on Sept. 10. Comparing these numbers to last year, there is not a noticeable change, with two students testing positive on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, then four on Dec. 2. For the entire school district, there were 688 students testing positive on Sept. 7, 709 on Sept. 8, 686 on Sept. 9, and 633 on Sept. 10. This is a noticeable increase compared to numbers last year, with 68 students testing positive on Nov. 30, 80 on Dec. 1, and 92 on Dec. 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAs far as I know, there\u2019s no redline or specific cut off for us to need to quarantine the whole school.”<\/div>