Thirty-five new COVID-19 cases were reported this past week among students and employees at schools across the tri-county area.
Nineteen new cases were identified this past week in Marion County Schools – 14 students and five employees. A total of 146 people – 131 students and 15 employees – are in quarantine. And 445 students weren’t sent home with some type of COVID-19 symptoms, according to a Marion County School District report.
The Marion County schools and departments impacted by COVID-19 this past week include Belleview High School, East Marion Elementary School, the Exceptional Student Education program, Hammett Bowen Jr. Elementary School, Lake Weir High School, Marion Oaks Elementary School, Marion Technical Institute, Reddick-Collier Elementary School, Saddlewood Elementary School, South Ocala Elementary School, Vanguard High School, West Port High School and Wyomina Park Elementary School.
The Lake County School District is reporting 11 new cases among eight students and three employees. A total of 149 people – 129 students and 20 employees – have been quarantined.
The most recent cases are identified below. The quarantine numbers include those who have tested positive:
- Leesburg High School (one student tested positive and 17 students quarantined);
- Carver Middle School (one student tested positive, one employee tested positive, eight students quarantined and one employee quarantined);
- South Lake High School (one student tested positive, 24 students quarantined and one employee quarantined);
- Pinecrest Academy Tavares Charter School (one student tested positive, 11 students quarantined and two employees quarantined);
- Minneola Charter School (one student tested positive, 29 students quarantined and five employees quarantined);
- Seminole Springs Elementary School (one student tested positive, seven students quarantined and two employees quarantined);
- Tavares High School (one student tested positive, one employee tested positive, 11 students quarantined and six employees quarantined); and
- Eustis Heights Elementary School (one student tested positive, 12 students quarantined and one employee quarantined); and
- Clermont Elementary School (one employee tested positive and two employees quarantined).
Sumter County Schools reported five new cases among three students and two staff members. Two of the students attend Webster Elementary School and the third one goes to South Sumter High School. The employees who tested positive work at Wildwood Elementary School and South Sumter High School, according to a report released by the school district.
All told, 20 Sumter County students have tested positive since school reopened Aug. 24, with 12 of those being at The Villages Charter School. Nine employees also have been identified with the potentially deadly virus, but it’s unclear if any of those work at the charter school because teachers and staff members there aren’t employed by the school district and aren’t reported as such, according to Deborah Moffitt, assistant superintendent.