JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Students, teachers and staff are returning to the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts campus Friday morning.
It was shut down earlier this month after several people tested positive for COVID-19. Parents told News4Jax they believed the cases were linked to a dance event.
Douglas Anderson follows Fletcher High School and Providence School, which both reopened this week after similar surges in cases.
Meanwhile, local students sounded off Thursday night about the decision to reopen schools this fall.
Students with the I’m A Star Foundation participated in a live virtual debate about reopening schools amidst a pandemic. Among the participants, there were both students who supported reopening and those who were against it.
“Not being able to be with your friends can make you feel lonely, and that leads to depression, which has also led to suicide,” student Jon Woodard Jr. said.
Another student who opposed returning to campus used facts and figures to support her feelings.
“Worldpopulationreview.com states 54,000 students have been diagnosed with COVID-19. This number could fill the entire city of Rocky Mount and the city of Pinellas Park, Florida,” student Tiffany Powell said.
