Students at second Orange County school don't receive message to quarantine
APOPKA. Fla. - There is coronavirus quarantine confusion at two Orange County Schools.
On Monday, FOX 35 News reported on the mix up at Bridgewater Middle School. Health officials say 26 students were not notified that they needed to quarantine so they came to class.
“On Saturday, we neglected to forward an email with all the information to the principal of that school with the people who were supposed to be in quarantine,” Orange County Health Officer Dr. Raul Pino said during a news conference Monday.
FOX 35 News uncovering another incident - this time at Wolf Lake Middle School in Apopka.
The Orange County School district says on October 19, the principal tried to send an automated message to 16 students on behalf of the health department.
“They have provided a letter advising us that you must keep your child home until October 27 due to the fact that your child came into close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19,” the message said.
School officials say emails also went out to the students but due to a glitch in the notification system - the families never got that voice message and about half the kids showed up at school.
A week later, the district says more kids were told to quarantine by voice message and email but two students still came to school.
Some now questioning the process.
“Communication issues,” said Phil Pool, who has a child at Wolf Lake Middle. “Kind of a snafu going on.”
The district sent FOX 35 the following statement: “Schools and the district continue to work with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County and parents to fully and proactively take all steps to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff, their families, and, by extension, our entire community.”
Tracy Perrone says when her daughter was asked to quarantine, she got the message right away.
“They’re following everything in the protocols and they’re notifying us,” she said.
District officials say in each of these cases, the students were separated right away and their parents called to be picked up.