COVID Response & Recovery

  • This page provides information and resources to families and employees about the efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Alachua County Public Schools. Please note, information is always changing and we will provide the latest updates as soon as possible.

    You can learn more about COVID-19 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The latest guidelines from the CDC were issued on March 1, 2024.​ Information about the local response to COVID-19 is available from the Alachua County Health Department.

      Positive Test Results

      • Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 must stay home from school, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. Parents should also consult with their child’s healthcare provider for care. 

        If your student is out due to illness, including COVID-19, it will be counted as an absence.

        As always, your child’s school will need a note from you or a healthcare provider for an absence to be excused. 

         

        Return to School (Department of Health Rules)

        Anyone who has received a positive diagnostic test may not attend school, school-sponsored activities, or be on school property until:

        • The student receives a negative diagnostic COVID-19 test and is asymptomatic; OR

        • Five (5) days have passed since the onset of symptoms or positive test result, they have had no fever for 24 hours and other symptoms are improving; OR

        • The student receives written permission to return to school from a medical doctor, an osteopathic physician, or an advanced practice registered nurse.

        Most at-home COVID tests cannot be used to return early (Option A), according to DOH guidelines.

        Some at-home tests that are collected at home and then sent to a laboratory, done through a mobile application, or monitored by a medical provider and reported to the Florida Department of Health are sufficient. For additional assistance, call the Alachua County Health Department at (352) 420-8993.

      COVID-19 Symptoms

      • Anyone who has symptoms of infectious illness such as COVID-19 should not attend school.

        Families should be on the alert for signs of illness in their children and keep them home when they are sick.

        Symptoms at School

        If a student develops COVID-19 symptoms while on campus, their school nurse can provide rapid antigen testing in the school clinic. Students will only be tested if they have a signed consent form on file, and after parents are called for confirmation. 

        If the student has a positive rapid test result, the school will follow the protocols for positive cases.

        If there is a negative rapid test result, the nurse will offer to perform a PCR test for confirmation. The student with symptoms must stay home while the PCR test is sent for lab processing.

         

        Return to School (Department of Health Rules)

        Anyone with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should not attend school, school-sponsored activities, or be on school property until:

        • They receive a negative diagnostic COVID-19 test and is asymptomatic; OR
        • Five (5) days have passed since the onset of symptoms, they have had no fever for 24 hours, and other symptoms are improving; OR
        • They receive written permission to return to school from a medical doctor licensed an osteopathic physician or an advanced practice registered nurse

        Most at-home COVID tests cannot be used to return early (Option A), according to DOH guidelines.

        Some at-home tests that are collected at home and then sent to a laboratory, done through a mobile application, or monitored by a medical provider and reported to the Florida Department of Health are sufficient. For additional assistance, call the Alachua County Health Department at (352) 420-8993.

      COVID Decision Flowchart

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