Schools

COVID-19 Rates Prompt Pasco Superintendent To Plead For Masks

Pasco County School Superintendent Kurt Browning appealed to students and teachers to wear masks to school as coronavirus rates surge.

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To date, 183 Pasco public school students and 54 staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus,
To date, 183 Pasco public school students and 54 staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus, (Photo Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

PASCO COUNTY, FL — With coronavirus cases on the rise among school-age children, Pasco County School District Superintendent Kurt Browning is urging parents to send their children to school wearing face masks.

Abiding by Gov. Ron DeSantis' executive order prohibiting school districts from mandating masks, the Pasco County School District has made masks voluntary this school year, which began Aug. 10.

However, on Monday, Browning made his preference clear.

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"I want to once again strongly, strongly recommend that you wear a mask," he said in a videotaped message. "I'm talking to staff and I'm talking to students. We report the (coronavirus) numbers every day and, unfortunately, those numbers are on the rise."

Unlike previous variants of the coronavirus, the delta variant, now the prevalent variant in Florida, is more contagious and impacts younger children more than the original virus schools had to contend with during the 2020-21 school year.

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To date, 183 Pasco public school students and 54 staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus, with an additional 204 students and two staff members quarantined due to exposure to the virus.

On Monday, the school district reported 38 students and eight staff members tested positive for the coronavirus.

"I've been out visiting schools and what I have observed is mask wearing that is sporadic at best," Browning said. "Those of you who have been wearing a mask, thank you. However, there are those who have been far too relaxed and the result is more and more cases affecting our schools. This is not unique to Pasco. Our neighboring school districts are seeing a similar pattern."

Browning said he realizes students are anxious to get back to a normal school day.

"Well, the quickest and most efficient way to get back to normal is to prevent infections now," he said.

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