Could this St. Johns County school be the first to shut down due to COVID-19?

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – There are much than 40 schools successful St. Johns County, but erstwhile it comes to the fig of COVID-19 cases successful classrooms, 1 schoolhouse has much than the remainder — Mill Creek Academy.

The K-8 schoolhouse adjacent World Golf Village has a reported a full of 64 COVID-19 cases involving students and a full of 246 students person been quarantined since the commencement of schoolhouse little than 3 weeks ago. Nearby Pacetti Bay Middle School has the 2nd astir pupil cases successful the region with 52.

As of Thursday, nary St. Johns County schools person been forced to unopen down and determination to virtual learning, but Mill Creek Academy whitethorn beryllium successful information of becoming the first.

One genitor of 2 Mill Creek Academy students said thing needs to beryllium done now.

“I deliberation the schoolhouse needs to unopen down. You know, astatine slightest for a week, if not two, to heavy clean, disinfect get the kids who are sick healthy, get the kids who are quarantined through,” the parent, who asked to stay anonymous, told News4Jax connected Thursday. “Just doing thing is not going to lick this.”

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A St. Johns County School District spokesperson said Thursday greeting determination are nary plans to unopen the schoolhouse down. The spokesperson besides said determination is nary territory threshold that would trigger a schoolhouse unopen down and each schoolhouse assesses its cases individually.

That’s antithetic from Duval County Public Schools wherever if 20% of a schoolhouse has imaginable vulnerability to the virus, the schoolhouse transitions to virtual learning. DCPS moved Ed White High School to virtual learning connected Wednesday aft 50 full cases were reported astatine the school. At Mill Creek, a overmuch smaller school, determination are a full of 69 cases, including staff, arsenic of Wednesday.

Some parents person taken the task of reporting COVID-19 cases astatine Mill Creek into their ain hands.

The “Mill Creek Academy self-reporting for parents” Facebook radical has 260 members who support each different updated connected coronavirus cases astatine the school.

“Just wanted to fto everyone cognize 2 retired of 3 of my kids tested affirmative today,” 1 radical subordinate posted Thursday.

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The genitor who spoke to News4Jax said she became a subordinate of the radical due to the fact that the interaction tracing being done by the Florida Department of Health was not timely.

“The schoolhouse can’t bash thing astir it until they perceive from the Department of Health,” the genitor said. “By the clip that it takes to fig retired your kid is sick, get them scheduled to get the test, get the trial results back, get those reported to the Department of Health, I cognize the Department of Health is reporting that to the school, to yet fto different parents know, it conscionable takes mode excessively long.”

The genitor is among those who are calling for an exigency schoolhouse committee gathering successful St. Johns County to reconsider a disguise mandate for students. Last week, the superintendent enactment successful spot a 30-day mandate for each 5,000 schoolhouse territory employees but the territory decided against that for students successful the look of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ enforcement bid banning disguise mandates, a determination that immoderate St. Johns County parents support. A justice declared that bid unconstitutional, but the authorities is appealing the ruling.

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A schoolhouse committee store is planned for adjacent week but arsenic of Thursday masks are not connected the agenda.

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