Local

Local school district asking parents to use online form to report child’s positive COVID-19 test

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Parents in St. Johns County have a new tool to help fight the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

STORY: Lawmakers forward proposal to double property tax breaks for frontline workers

The St. Johns County School district has an online form for parents to report if their child tests positive for COVID-19. The district is requesting, and not mandating, that parents use the form.

This is in addition to the 19 pandemic health and safety protocols already in place in the St. Johns County School District.

For further context, here’s a look at where the district stands when it comes to the number of positive cases among students. According to the latest data from Feb. 3, 2022:

  • 776 students tested positive for COVID-19, which is nearly 0.02% of students in the district.
  • 137 students have been quarantined, which is 0.003% of students in the district.

Whitney Wollenberg told Action News Jax she thinks the new COVID-19 reporting form is a good thing.

“I think any little bit of information, extra information, is always a good thing,” Wollenberg said.

The mother of two told Cole she has a kindergartner and a second grader who attend Palencia Elementary School.

“I think it’s only as good as what information the parents are putting into it,” Wollenberg explained.

STORY: St. Augustine artist talks art, activism and understanding in new series “Where We Stand”

The form asks for:

  • Parents’ names and contact information
  • Student’s name
  • When their child’s COVID-19 symptoms began
  • When their child was tested
  • What type of COVID-19 test was used

“You know—the kids are around, exposed to germs all the time. Whether they have a symptom or not, you don’t always know about it. It’s helpful, but it’s not necessarily a make or break for me,” Wollenberg said.

Dr. Mobeen Rathore, the chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UF Health, said he thinks it’s a great informational tool for the district.

“I think this is a good thing for additional information. It cannot be the sole way that we try to fight this pandemic. But as an additional tool, in a multi-prong approach to decrease the chance of infection in the school system,” said Dr. Rathore.

STORY: CDC to consider increasing time between vaccine doses to lower risk of heart inflammation

Dr. Rathore, also a professor and associate chair of the Department of Pediatrics, said the focus should still be to get as many eligible staff, students and faculty, vaccinated.

“And then, of course, masks and social distancing are important, along with contact tracing and gathering the information,” said Dr. Rathore.

The school district is also making another change you’ll want to know about:

Now if a student in your child’s classroom tests positive, they’re going to inform all the parents of students in that particular class. Previously, the district said they only reached out to the parents they believed were in close contact.

The spokesperson for the St. Johns County School District said they plan to use the forms as long as they are needed.

Additional Information:

For the COVID-19 School Form, click HERE.

For the SJC School District Dashboard, click HERE.

For SJC COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols, click HERE.