2 North FL School Districts Temporarily Close Because Of COVID-19

FLORIDA — Two north Florida school districts — Taylor County Schools and Gulf District Schools — have closed for several days because of the impact of COVID-19 in their communities.

Though Taylor County Schools hasn’t seen a big increase in COVID-19 cases among employees, the district is closed Thursday and Friday due to a staff shortage as the district’s workers “have felt the strain of determining who will stay home with their quarantined student,” Superintendent Dr. Danny F. Glover, Jr. said in a message to families.

He added, “Our Taylor County Schools family has risen to the occasion to cover daily openings and vacancies in food service, classroom instructors, classroom aides, transportation, and auxiliary positions with site-based office staff, site-based administrators, substitutes, and even district-level administration. However, this heightened operating status has taken a toll on our school sites.”

Glover called the school district’s closure “a preventive measure.”

“We believe this closure will allow us to reset and proactively devise plans for continued learning for our students this year, whether in schools or at home on quarantine,” he said.

Thursday will be a workday for teachers, who will use the time to focus on daily operations, instruction and professional development. Friday will be a non-working day for both students and staff.

Gulf District Schools closed Wednesday and will reopen Tuesday, Superintendent Jim Norton said in a message to families.

“This will prevent our students from getting further behind on course work and provide those who are ill the opportunity to rest and heal,” he said. “I realize school closures cause an inconvenience to some, and for that I apologize. However, I truly feel it is necessary in order to build a stop gap measure that will prevent the virus from spreading more widely.”

Coronavirus cases are rising in the area and are causing stress on the district’s students, teachers and support staff, Norton added. During the district’s closure, schools and buses will be cleansed and sanitized.