JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Public Schools has reported 1,397 COVID-19 cases since the start of the school year, the district’s dashboard showed Thursday afternoon.
Duval County school officials learn about new cases of the coronavirus among students and staff every day, although administrators say most cases have been contracted outside of the schools.
Since tracking began on the district’s dashboard, which has undergone several updates, 565 cases have been reported in elementary schools, 195 have been reported in middle schools, 513 have been reported in high schools and 124 have been reported in the schools that span multiple levels.
So while more cases have appeared in elementary schools than high schools, there are about five times as many elementary schools as high schools -- and they include more grade levels.
Across the district, schools with higher student populations predictably have more cases arise.
Among elementary schools, Mandarin Oaks, Enterprise Learning Academy and Andrew Robinson have seen the most cases -- with 19, 18, and 15, respectively.
Among the district’s middle schools, LaVilla tops the list with 18 cases, Matthew Gilbert is next with 16 cases, and Julia Landon and Fletcher Middle each have had 13 cases.
Meanwhile, Fletcher High topped the list of high schools with 79 cases. The district’s most populous school, Sandalwood High, has seen 72 cases, and Mandarin High has recorded 50 cases.
Parents of Fletcher High School students, who saw the entire school close in October due to a COVID-19 outbreak, told News4Jax that the district is doing everything it can to safely manage the virus.
“They’re handling it as well as they could. I mean, you know, I was worried about Thanksgiving, Christmas. I mean, everybody’s gone back to school. I mean, it’s almost February now,” said Heather Seconder, the parent of Fletcher High students. “My family hasn’t had to quarantine yet.”
“I don’t feel like there’s anything more that the schools can do. I think they’re doing their best,” said Dianna Birdsong, a parent of a Fletcher High student. “I would say my biggest concern is for the teachers because I’m not hearing that they’re of any importance of getting vaccinated. And I think that they’re kind of getting forgotten.”
Birdsong said she was struck with grief this month when her friend, elementary school teacher Deborah Menendez-Holloway, died from COVID-19.
Birdsong and many other parents and teachers have been calling for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to add education workers to the priority list for the COVID-19 vaccine.