Duval Schools report almost 1,500 COVID-19 cases; 2 schools remain closed due to outbreaks

Florida Times-Union - 8/31/2021

Duval County Public Schools has almost 1,500 COVID-19 cases on its campuses in the fourth week of the 2020-21 school year.

The school district reported 1,496 cases as of Monday night, 1,319 of them students and 177 staff, according to its COVID-19 online dashboard, which records cases at each location. Last week, the district topped 1,000 cases, a milestone that took months to occur in the 2020-21 school year.

The high numbers come as Florida school districts were ordered to remain open and in-person, despite a summer surge of the highly contagious delta variant of the virus.

COVID-19 numbers: Hospitalizations up in Florida, down at most Jacksonville-area hospitals

COVID in the classroom: Duval Schools top 1,000 COVID-19 cases in third week of class

But last week Baldwin Middle-Senior High School and Duncan U. Fletcher Middle School were forced to temporarily close because of COVID-19 outbreaks on campus. Baldwin is set to reopen on Wednesday, and Fletcher on Thursday.

For a school to close locally, at least 20 percent of the student and staff population has to be impacted.

Baldwin reported 48 cases as of Monday night — 45 students, three staff — the highest total in the district, according to the COVID-19 dashboard. Fletcher Middle had 38 cases, including 37 students.

Last Wednesday, Baldwin had 44 cases, Fletcher 33.

Masks on campus: What you need to know about Duval Schools' new mask mandate

The Duval County School Board has approved an emergency provision to strengthen its mask policy. Starting Sept. 7, masks will be required unless a student has a doctor's note.

For the entire 2020-21 school year, 2,498 COVID-19 cases were reported in Duval Schools.

bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109