It only took exactly one day for a COVID-19 spread to the Polk County public school.
District officials emailed a letter to the parents of Haines City’s Boone Middle School on Monday evening to let them know that “an individual at Boone Middle School … has tested positive for COVID-19.”
“Any students or staff members who have been in close contact with this individual will be directly contacted within 24 to 48 hours to discuss how long they should self-quarantine and other health-related instructions,” district officials wrote in the letter, adding that they are prohibited by federal law from identifying the infected person. “Any students who are directed to self-quarantine in response to this situation will temporarily switch to online learning through Boone Middle’s Campus e-School program until their quarantine has ended and they are cleared to return to campus for in-person instruction.”
Boone Middle School will remain open, and students, teachers, staff, and administrators will continue to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on staying safe, including hand washing and sanitizing, wearing masks, and maintaining social distancing where possible.
“We continue to encourage everyone to follow important best practices to prevent the spread of illness,” district officials told parents.
Those measures include:
• Stay home and do not go to school or work if you are sick. Limit contact with others to avoid infecting them.
• Wear a face covering when in public and practice social distancing.
• Frequently wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also effective for hand hygiene.
• Do not share food, eating utensils, or cups.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Put your used tissue in a wastebasket. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Clean and disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces.
Polk County Public Schools has 150 schools with 107,000 students, about 7,000 teachers, and another 6,000 staff.